A shoemaker’s son, Marlowe attended Cambridge University and then became an actor and dramatist in London. His plays, such as Dr. Faustus and The Jew of Malta, often center on a heroic personality ruined by his own ambition. Most critics hold that the poetic beauty of his language elevates his plays’ violence to high art, and many believe that he influenced Shakespeare’s work. At 29, he was stabbed to death in a tavern brawl, possibly due to his involvement in what covert activity? Discuss
Author: Ian
Grand Teton National Park Established (1929)
Before US President Calvin Coolidge signed a bill creating Grand Teton National Park, the National Park Service and homesteaders around Jackson Hole, Wyoming, fought for decades about the best way to preserve the landscape there. Much of the steep Teton Range lies within the boundaries of the park. Its peaks rise above deep valleys, called “holes” by the first white trappers and traders in the area. It has been suggested that early French trappers named the Teton Range after what body part? Discuss
Mark "Chopper" Read
Read was an Australian criminal and author. He committed numerous crimes, including armed robbery, assault, and kidnapping and spent only 13 months outside of jail between the ages of 20 and 38. He used his criminal and prison exploits as fodder for a bestselling series of true-crime books. In them, he tells of attacking a judge, robbing drug dealers, torturing members of the criminal underworld, and starting a prison war. What children’s book written by Read was the target of an attempted ban? Discuss
Robert Larimore "Bobby" Riggs (1918)
Riggs began playing tennis at the age of 11, won Wimbledon when he was 21, and became one of the top-rated male tennis players of the 1940s. He retired in the early 1950s and was largely forgotten until 1973, when he proclaimed men superior to women in athletics and came out of retirement to challenge two of the top female tennis players in the world. After beating Margaret Court, he played Billie Jean King in one of the most famous tennis events of all time, “The Battle of the Sexes.” Who won? Discuss
Smog
A combination of the words “smoke” and “fog,” smog is a kind of air pollution that plagues cities throughout the world. Smog can form in almost any climate but is worse during periods of warm, sunny weather, when it can build up to dangerous levels and cause a number of health problems. It has even led to acute incidents in which thousands of people in a single metropolitan area have been killed. In what city did the Great Smog of 1952 kill approximately 4,000 people over a four-day period? Discuss
Samuel Colt Issued Patent for His Revolving Gun (1836)
Colt did not invent the revolver, but his design was the first practical, working version of one, and he developed assembly-line techniques that drove down manufacturing costs. Even so, securing funding for his novel production system proved difficult, and his fledgling company struggled and eventually folded. He then turned to work on underwater mines and telegraph lines. In 1847, Colt reestablished his gun manufacturing business after what famous lawman placed an order for 1,000 revolvers? Discuss
Tooth Decay
Tooth decay is a common health problem, second in prevalence only to the common cold. About 75% of all people have had their first cavity by the age of 5. Decay is caused by 3 factors: plaque bacteria, sugar, and a vulnerable tooth surface. Although several microorganisms can cause tooth decay, the primary disease agent appears to be Streptococcus mutans. If left untreated, decay can lead to tooth loss, infection, and, in severe cases, death. What drugs can lead to rampant tooth decay? Discuss
Nazi Party Founded in Germany (1920)
The term National Socialist—or Nazi, for short—was added to the name of the German Workers’ Party the year after it was founded. On the day it was renamed, swiftly-rising new member Adolf Hitler outlined the party’s official platform before 2,000 people, its largest audience yet. During the Great Depression, millions of jobless voters joined the party, and in 1932 it became the largest bloc in the Reichstag. How did Hitler manage to make it the only political party in Germany? Discuss
John Peter Wagner (1874)
Wagner was an American baseball player who led the National League in batting eight times. He entered the majors in 1897, and played for Pittsburgh most of his career. Though massively built, he was agile, leading his league in stolen bases five times and scoring almost 1,800 runs. He retired in 1917 but returned to coach the Pirates for almost two decades. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1936. Fans called him “The Flying Dutchman” for his speed, but he had another nickname. What was it? Discuss
Karl Theodor Jaspers (1883)
Jaspers was a German philosopher and psychopathologist often identified as an exponent of existentialism, although he rejected this classification. In his magnum opus, Philosophy, he argued that the aim of philosophy is practical and that its purpose is the fulfillment of human existence. He believed illumination is achieved through the experience of “limit situations” like conflict, guilt, and suffering, which define the human condition. What forced him to give up his teaching career? Discuss