Guinness is a celebrated Irish dry stout that originated in the Dublin brewery of Arthur Guinness. When Guinness acquired his brewery, he famously signed a 9,000-year lease that fixed his annual rent at 45 pounds. From 1799, the brewery produced only its distinctive, dark, creamy Guinness stout, which became known as the national beer of Ireland. Although Guinness stout may appear to be black, it is officially a very dark shade of what? Discuss
Month: December 2024
Elizabeth Arden (1884)
Born in Canada as Florence Nightingale Graham, Arden moved to New York City in 1907 and under her new name opened a beauty salon. Her business became an international empire based on salons, hundreds of “scientifically formulated” beauty products, and an exclusive image—all packaged in her trademark pink. Arden made makeup acceptable to “respectable” American women, introducing them to eye shadow, mascara, and lipstick tinted to match their outfits. What poem inspired her business name? Discuss
Acheulean Tools
Acheulean tools are the stone hand axes, cleavers, and other core tools created by prehistoric hominins across Africa, Asia, and Europe during the Lower Paleolithic Period. These tools date from around 1.5 million to 150,000 years ago, and some believe their development represents the genesis of human art, economy, and social organization. Curiously, some sites contain hundreds of hand-axes that are impractically large and apparently unused. What are some theories about their function? Discuss
Bo Diddley (1928)
Diddley was a pioneering African-American rock-and-roll singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was known for his pounding signature beat, guitar effects, and jive talk, and he was a powerful influence on generations of rockers, including Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix, and the Rolling Stones. Nicknamed after the single-stringed folk instrument called a diddley bow, he studied the violin at his Baptist Church in Chicago and began performing in South Side clubs, playing what unique type of guitar? Discuss
Exit Polling
Instead of asking who voters plan to support in a future election, as is done in opinion polling, pollsters involved in exit polling ask people who they actually voted for as they leave polling stations. Exit polls are usually conducted by firms providing media outlets with an early indication of an election’s outcome, though they have also been used to deter election fraud. Critics, however, maintain that the results of these surveys can be distorted. How might exit polls influence an election? Discuss
The Treaty of New Echota Is Signed (1835)
In 1835, a minority faction of the Cherokee tribe signed the Treaty of New Echota, which bound the entire tribe to move beyond the Mississippi River within three years. Although the Cherokee overwhelmingly repudiated the document and the US Supreme Court upheld the nation’s autonomy, the state of Georgia forced their removal through military action. President Andrew Jackson refused to intervene, and thousands died on the march, known as the “Trail of Tears.” To where did they march? Discuss
Mary Tyler Moore (1936)
Although she began her career as a dancer, Moore’s success came from her TV roles, first as the secretary on Richard Diamond, Private Detective and then as Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show. She is best known, however, as the star of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the most popular sitcom of the 1970s and the first show to center on a happily unmarried career woman. Over the years, she has won multiple Emmys and Golden Globes. What film role earned her an Oscar nomination? Discuss
The Didgeridoo
The didgeridoo, developed by the Australian Aborigines, is perhaps the world’s oldest wind instrument. Though the exact age of the didgeridoo is unknown, studies of rock art in northern Australia suggest that the Aboriginal people have been using it for approximately 1,500 years. Didgeridoos measure about 4 ft (1.5 m) in length and are made from branches that have been hollowed out by termites. A 2005 study found that practicing the didgeridoo can help reduce what sleep-related conditions? Discuss
Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Why is it that when you awake to the world of realities you nearly always feel, sometimes very vividly, that the vanished dream has carried with it some enigma which you have failed to solve? Discuss
Lumière Brothers' First Film Screening for a Paying Public Audience (1895)
In 1882, French inventor Louis Lumière developed a method of making photographic plates. By 1894, he and his brother August were producing 15 million plates a year. They worked on improving Edison’s kinetoscope, and, in 1895, patented their combination movie camera and projector, the Cinématographe. Their 46-second film La Sortie des ouvriers de l’usine Lumière is considered the first motion picture and was one of 10 included in their first public film screening. What is its subject? Discuss