Cyprus gained independence from Great Britain on August 16, 1960. On that day, British governor Hugh Foot departed amid much ceremony, and Greek Cypriot freedom fighters landed on a plane from Athens with a heroes’ welcome. The new Cypriot president, Archbishop Makarios III (1913-1977), gave a speech inspiring Cypriots to improve their new nation. Independence Day is observed as a public holiday on October 1 each year. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Andrews is a British actress and singer best known for her roles in films such as The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins, for which she won an Academy Award. However, she was first a Broadway musical star. She made her London debut at age 12 in a revue and her New York City stage debut seven years later. She went on to originate the roles of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady and Guinevere in Camelot. She also made several films with her director husband. Who was he? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
A head transplant is a surgical operation involving the replacement of one organism’s head with another’s. The first successful head transplant took place in the 1970s, when the head of a monkey was transplanted onto another’s body. The animal retained most of its senses but was paralyzed below the attachment site. Though still hypothetical for humans, proponents believe the procedure can help people facing widespread organ failure. What has prevented human head transplants from taking place? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) A gas burner used in laboratories; has an air valve to regulate the mixture of gas and air.
Synonyms: etna.
Usage: I accidentally singed my eyebrows while lighting my bunsen in chemistry class.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
A little known species driven to the edge of extinction by poaching has gained extra protection at the Cites meeting in South Africa. Pangolins are slow moving, nocturnal creatures found across Asia and Africa but over a million have been taken from … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
In the final year of his life, prolific composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart produced the opera Die Zauberflöte—The Magic Flute—featuring a libretto by the actor Emmanuel Schikaneder. The work is considered a singspiel—an opera in German that contains spoken dialogue and is usually comic in tone. Mozart brought this form of light musical entertainment to a height of lyrical and symbolic art. How much longer did Mozart live after The Magic Flute debuted? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
San Geronimo Feast Day is the feast day for St. Jerome, the patron saint of Taos Pueblo in New Mexico. For 1,000 years, the Tiwa-speaking Taos Indians have lived at or near the present pueblo, and it is still the home of about 1,500 residents. The celebration commences on the evening of Sept. 29 with a sundown dance, followed by vespers in the San Geronimo Mission. On the following day, there are foot races in the morning, and, in the afternoon, “clowns” with black-and-white body paint climb a pole, an act that has secret religious significance to the Taos. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
After receiving a doctorate in physics in Germany in 1906, Geiger traveled to England, where he assisted chemist Ernest Rutherford. In 1908, they designed an instrument to detect and count alpha particles, positively charged ionizing particles produced by radioactive decay. He then returned to Germany, directing radiation research at several universities. Two decades later, Geiger developed the sensitive, portable radiation counter that now bears his name. Geiger was a member of what “club”? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Among the best primary sources on Aztec culture, Aztec codices contain firsthand accounts of the civilization’s history and religion. While the pre-Colombian codices are largely pictorial, later colonial era codices contain Aztec pictograms, as well as Aztec, Spanish, and occasionally Latin writings. Though there are few surviving pre-conquest codices, the tradition endured the transition to colonial culture, and about 500 such works survive today. What massacre is described in the Aubin Codex? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (verb) To wave or flourish (a weapon, for example) menacingly.
Synonyms: flourish, wave.
Usage: The farmer, seeing before him this figure in full armor brandishing a lance over his head, gave himself up for dead.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary