A founding work of modern Western literature, Cervantes’s Don Quixote presents a profound picture of the divide between idealistic and realistic world views. A burlesque of chivalric romances, it was an immediate success. In 1614, a spurious Part II was published by an unidentified author who insulted Cervantes in his prologue. Offended, Cervantes responded by publishing his own Part II, which some literary critics consider superior to Part I. What is Don Quixote’s real name in the book? Discuss
Month: January 2025
Eric Henry Liddell (1902)
Liddell was a Scottish athlete and missionary. Because of his Christian convictions, Liddell refused to run track events on Sundays, a decision that forced him to withdraw from his best event, the 100-meter sprint, during the 1924 Paris Olympics. Instead, he ran the 400 meters, winning the gold medal and breaking the existing world record. His story is depicted in the Academy Award-winning 1981 film Chariots of Fire. Why is he listed in some literature as China’s first Olympic champion? Discuss
The Lost Dutchman's Gold Mine
Perhaps the most famous lost mine in US history, the Lost Dutchman’s Gold Mine is a legendary gold mine allegedly located in Arizona’s Superstition Mountains. It is named after German immigrant Jacob Waltz, who, in most versions of the story, was told of the mine’s location as a reward for aiding a member of the Peralta mining family. Though many say the mine is a legend, some historians argue that the story has some basis in fact. Whose suspicious death sparked renewed interest in the mine? Discuss
Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht Murdered While Under Arrest (1919)
During WWI, Luxemburg and Liebknecht formed a revolutionary, antiwar socialist group in Germany that became the Spartacus League. After the proclamation of the German republic in 1918, they opposed the moderate government formed by the Social Democrats and advocated its violent overthrow, to be replaced by a dictatorship of the proletariat. They transformed their league into the German Communist Party and led an uprising, which was crushed. Arrested, they were murdered by whom while in custody? Discuss
Mihai Eminescu (1850)
Eminescu is considered Romania’s greatest poet. His first poems were published when he was just a teen, and a few years later he joined the literary circle Junimea and began contributing to its journal, Convorbiri literare. His lyrical, passionate, and revolutionary poems had a profound influence on Romanian letters. Eminescu suffered from periodic attacks of insanity and died shortly after one such attack. He is honored in a monument in the capital city of what Islamic country? Discuss
Japanese Sake
Sake is a Japanese alcoholic beverage made from rice. Although there are multiple theories about how it was developed, the first sakes were likely made from rice, millet, chestnuts, and acorns that people chewed and spit into a tub. The enzymes from the saliva converted the starches to sugars, resulting in a sweet mixture that was combined with freshly cooked grain and allowed to ferment. What does drinking sake from another’s cup signify in Japanese culture? Discuss
Felice Orsini Attempts to Assassinate French Emperor Napoleon III (1858)
Orsini was an Italian revolutionary in the movement for Italian unification. In 1858, he made an attempt on the life of Napoleon III, whom he held responsible for the failure of the Italian revolutions of 1848 to 1849. Although ably defended by French statesman Jules Favre, Orsini was executed. His act, designed to arouse world interest in the Italian cause, paradoxically influenced Napoleon’s own decision to intervene in favor of Italian unification. How did Orsini try to kill Napoleon? Discuss
John Dos Passos (1896)
Dos Passos was an American writer whose World War I service as an ambulance driver and later work as a journalist led him to see the US as “two nations”—one for the rich and one for the poor. An artist to boot, he created many of the illustrations and covers for his books. His reputation as a social historian, radical critic of American life, and major novelist of the postwar “Lost Generation” rests primarily on his powerful U.S.A. trilogy, which includes what three novels? Discuss
Cortisol
Often referred to as the “stress hormone” because of its involvement in the body’s stress response, cortisol is the principal steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex. It increases blood pressure and blood sugar levels and can act as an immunosuppressant. Hydrocortisone, or synthetic cortisol, is used to treat a number of conditions, including inflammation, allergies, collagen diseases, and adrenocortical insufficiency. In humans, cortisol levels peak at what time of day? Discuss
First Successful Escape from an Aircraft Using the Ejection Seat (1942)
Ejection seats are used in aircraft to quickly propel occupants out in an emergency. Today, they are fired by an explosive charge, but the first ejection seats were powered by compressed air. One of the first aircrafts to be fitted with such a system was the German Heinkel He 280 prototype jet fighter. While testing the He 280 during WWII, pilot Helmut Schenk became the first person to use an ejection seat to make an emergency escape from an aircraft. What went wrong during his test flight? Discuss