Month: August 2024

Sacco and Vanzetti Are Executed (1927)

The 1920 armed robbery and murder trial of the young Italian immigrants Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti was one of the most controversial in US history. Though some believed the verdict was just, others argued that the two men were innocent and were only found guilty because they were immigrants and political radicals. Their defenders waged a fierce legal and public relations battle to save the men’s lives, but they were executed in 1927. What declaration about the verdict was made in 1977? Discuss

Gene Kelly (1912)

Kelly was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and movie director. After training at his mother’s dance school in Pittsburgh, he moved to New York in 1938 and danced in Broadway musicals. His athletic style later became a hallmark of the movie musical. His most famous performance came in Singin’ in the Rain, which he also helped choreograph and direct. His achievements earned him a special Academy Award in 1952. With what animated character did Kelly dance in Anchors Aweigh? Discuss

Atomic Force Microscope

With a demonstrated resolution of fractions of a nanometer, the atomic force microscope (AFM) is one of the foremost tools for imaging, measuring, and manipulating matter at the nanoscale. Unlike the electron microscope, which provides a two-dimensional image of a sample, the AFM provides a true 3-D surface profile. Though the term “microscope” suggests the visual study of minute samples, this high-tech device functions in an entirely different manner. How does the AFM gather information? Discuss

Deng Xiaoping (1904)

Deng was a Chinese revolutionary and government leader. A veteran of the Long March, he became deputy premier in 1952 and soon joined the Politburo Standing Committee. He was ousted and reinstated several times and at one point was assigned to work in a tractor factory. From the late 1970s until his death in 1997, he was China’s most powerful leader. He promoted a wide-reaching reform program that introduced free-enterprise elements into the economy. What was Deng’s famous saying about a cat? Discuss

Flying Squirrels

There are 43 known species of flying squirrel. While the name flying squirrel is a bit of a misnomer—the creatures cannot actually fly—they are able to glide long distances by leaping from tall heights and extending flaps of skin, called patagia, that stretch from their forelimbs to their hindlimbs. Once airborne, the squirrels have a high degree of maneuverability and are able to steer by adjusting the tautness of the patagia and using their tails as stabilizers. How do they “brake”? Discuss

Christopher Robin Milne (1920)

Christopher Robin Milne was the son of author A.A. Milne. When Christopher was a young child, his father wrote poetry for him, which grew into the collections When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six. Later, Christopher and his toy animals were incorporated into stories about the adventures of the now-classic characters Christopher Robin, Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore in Winnie-the-Pooh. How did Christopher feel about his name being used in his father’s stories? Discuss

Cosplay

A combination of the words “costume” and “play,” cosplay refers to a Japanese subculture in which participants dress as characters from anime, manga, video games, and other forms of entertainment. Often seen at conventions or parties at nightclubs or amusement parks, cosplay is also publicly practiced in places like Tokyo’s Akihabara district, where costumed servers wait on patrons at many of the area’s cafés. How does cosplay in the US and UK differ from that in Japan? Discuss