Month: September 2024

Vacuum Energy

The composition of vacuum energy, an underlying background energy that exists in space even when that space is devoid of matter, remains one of physics’ great unsolved mysteries. The phenomenon results in the existence of most, if not all, of the fundamental forces, such as gravity and electromagnetism, and many experts suspect that it affects the behavior of the universe on a cosmological scale. What 1948 experiment provided the first experimental verification of the existence of vacuum energy? Discuss

Pope Urban VII Dies Just 13 Days into Papacy (1590)

Urban VII was chosen to succeed Sixtus V as pope on September 15, 1590. His death from malaria 13 days later made his the shortest papal reign in history. His very short time as pope nevertheless gave rise to the world’s first known public smoking ban when he threatened to excommunicate anyone who “took tobacco in the porchway of or inside a church, whether it be by chewing it, smoking it with a pipe, or sniffing it in powdered form through the nose.” Who succeeded him? Discuss

Grazia Deledda (1871)

Influenced by the verismo—”realism”—school, Nobel Prize-winning Italian novelist Grazia Deledda wrote her first stories while just a teen and was still having her works published after her death. Her work is lyric and in part naturalistic and combines sympathy and humor with occasional touches of violence. In her approximately 40 novels, the ancient ways of her native Sardinia often come into conflict with modern mores. What are her most famous works? Discuss

The Elixir of Life

The elixir of life is a mythical potion said to confer immortality. The ancient Chinese thought that precious substances like gold and mercury brought longevity, and these ingredients were often used in their elixirs. Ironically, some metals are highly toxic and thus poisoned the longevity seekers who ingested them. Buddhism gave the Chinese alternate routes to immortality, but the elixir of life received renewed attention in the 18th century with what claims about the Comte de St. Germain? Discuss

The Parthenon Is Partially Destroyed by an Explosion (1687)

Built in the 5th century BCE on the Acropolis of Athens, the Parthenon was the chief temple of Athena in ancient Greece and the finest example of Doric architecture. In 1687, during the Venetian attack on Athens, the Turks used it for storing gunpowder. The stores were ignited during the bombardment, causing an explosion that partly destroyed the building. Still, its basic structure remains intact and reconstruction efforts are underway. What does the word “Parthenon” mean in Greek? Discuss

Lewis Hine (1874)

Hine was an American photographer whose career began shortly after he bought his first camera in 1903. Devoted to capturing images of the dark side of the industrial revolution in the US, he documented the poverty of immigrants and the plight of child laborers. The power of his images placed him at the forefront of 20th-century documentary photographers and helped bring about the passage of child labor laws. Some of his most famous images document the construction of what iconic skyscraper? Discuss

Fluxus

Fluxus, “to flow” in Latin, is an international group of artists noted for blending various artistic media and disciplines in the 1960s. Considered an attitude rather than a movement or style, Fluxus encourages a do-it-yourself aesthetic and values simplicity. Fluxus developed out of many of the concepts explored by composer John Cage, who focused on the notion of chance in art through works such as 4’33”—a “composition” performed without a single note being played. What are Fluxus boxes? Discuss