Author: Ian

Beer

The world’s oldest and most popular alcoholic beverage, beer is recorded in the written history of ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia and may have been brewed as early as the 6th millennium BCE. Today, approximately 35 billion gallons of beer are sold each year throughout the world. It is produced by fermenting sugars derived from starch-based materials, including malted barley and wheat, as well as millet in Africa, potato in Brazil, and agave in Mexico. What is the difference between ale and lager? Discuss

Michael Landon (1936)

After appearing in minor roles on TV, Landon made his film debut in 1957’s I Was a Teenage Werewolf. He endeared himself to audiences as Little Joe in the western series Bonanza (1959-1973) and later as Charles Ingalls in the series based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie. He also sometimes wrote and directed episodes for the shows in which he acted, including Highway to Heaven. A prankster, Landon put what reptile in his mouth to get a laugh? Discuss

Ruth Gordon (1896)

Gordon was an American actress and playwright whose career encompassed more than 70 years of stage and film experience. She made her Broadway debut in 1915 as Nibs in Peter Pan. She wrote many plays and collaborated on many successful screenplays, including Adam’s Rib, with her husband, the playwright and director Garson Kanin. She won an Academy Award for her performance in Rosemary’s Baby and, in 1971, starred in what black comedy film that has since become a cult classic? Discuss

Soviet Union Detonates "Tsar Bomba" (1961)

“Tsar Bomba” was the nickname of a hydrogen bomb detonated by the Soviet Union in 1961 that remains the most powerful nuclear weapon ever detonated. The bomb had a yield of 50 megatons, a force equivalent to 1,400 times the combined power of the two nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II—or approximately 1.4 percent of the power output of the Sun. The resulting seismic shock was measurable even on its third passage around the Earth. Where was Tsar Bomba detonated? Discuss

Kenning

Often seen in Norse, Anglo-Saxon, and Celtic literature, a kenning is a poetic phrase used in the place of a name or noun. Kennings can be complex phrases or simple two-word expressions joined to convey a meaning neither word possesses alone. A knowledge of mythology is often vital to the understanding and interpretation of these phrases. “Sail-road,” “bath-way,” and “whale-way” are all Old English kennings that reference the sea. What is “the flesh of the mother of the enemy of the giantess”? Discuss

Fanny Brice (1891)

Brice was an American comedian and singer who built her act on parody and physical humor. A perennial Ziegfeld Follies star after 1910, she attained international fame with her signature torch-song parody, “My Man.” Appearing in vaudeville, musicals, dramas, movies, and radio throughout her career, Brice demonstrated that a woman could succeed in entertainment without exploiting her sexuality or making a fool of herself or other women. What Broadway musical was based on her life? Discuss

Black Tuesday (1929)

In the 1920s, the US stock market expanded rapidly and reached a peak in August 1929, when prices began to decline while speculation increased. On October 24, “Black Thursday,” a record 12,894,650 shares were traded. Banks and investment companies bought large blocks of stock to stem the panic, but on October 29, “Black Tuesday,” 16 million shares were traded and prices collapsed. Why do some scholars contend that the stock market crash was not the cause of the Great Depression? Discuss