Author: Ian

Copito de Nieve

The most popular resident of the Barcelona Zoo during his life, Copito de Nieve was an albino Western Lowland Gorilla—the only known albino gorilla. Originally captured in 1966 in what is now Equatorial Guinea, where he was called Nfumu Ngi, or “White Gorilla,” he later gained fame as Copito de Nieve, Spanish for “Snowflake,” a nickname given to him by National Geographic magazine. During his nearly 40 years in captivity, Snowflake fathered 22 offspring. How many survived to adulthood? Discuss

Hora at Prislop

The Hora is a dancing festival held at Mount Prislop at the Transylvania–Moldavia border in Romania. The dancers of the hora carry big rings that symbolize the friendship of the people of the regions of Moldavia, Maramures, and Transylvania. The top artistic groups gather at Prislop Pass to present a parade in colorful folk costumes and then a program of songs and dances, ending with the lively peasant horas. Typical food dishes of the area are served and folk art is on display. Discuss

Mary Roberts Rinehart (1876)

Rinehart was a popular American author considered the inventor of the Had-I-But-Known school of mystery writing. Her immensely successful first novel, The Circular Staircase launched her career, and her books, which often blend mystery with humor and romance, have sold over 10 million copies. She was a war correspondent during WWI and wrote several books promoting women’s contributions to the war effort. What popular phrase is said to have been inspired by her 1930 novel The Door? Discuss

Yakuza

Yakuza are members of traditional organized crime groups in Japan. Although yakuza membership declined in the 1990s following an anti-gang law passed by the Japanese government, there are thought to be nearly 90,000 active yakuza members in Japan today. Though, as a matter of principle, yakuza do not recognize direct theft as a legitimate enterprise, they frequently engage in a form of extortion known as sokaiya. How does it work? Discuss

Night of the Murdered Poets (1952)

In one of the instances of violent anti-Semitism during Joseph Stalin’s regime, 15 Soviet Jews linked to the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee were falsely accused of espionage, treason, and other crimes. After their arrests, they were tortured and isolated for three years before being formally charged. In 1952, 13 of them were executed in Moscow on a night remembered as the “Night of the Murdered Poets,” named after five of the prisoners, who were Yiddish writers. Who were these poets? Discuss

Weimar Constitution Signed into Law (1919)

Written immediately after World War I, the Weimar Constitution was the document that governed the short-lived Weimar Republic of Germany. It declared the nation a federal republic governed by a president and parliament and was a strong attempt to establish a liberal democracy in Germany. However, it was adopted during a time of civil conflict and failed with the ascent of the Nazi Party in 1933. How did Hitler manage to subvert the Weimar Constitution after he came to power? Discuss

Naga Jolokia

Ominously known as the “ghost chili” or “poison chili,” the naga jolokia was once the hottest chili pepper in the world, as certified by Guinness World Records in 2007. Originally grown in northeastern India and Bangladesh, the naga jolokia has measured over 1,000,000 on the Scoville scale, a system developed to measure the “hotness” or piquancy of chili peppers. In comparison, jalapeño peppers range from 2,500 to 8,000. What pepper has since surpassed it as the world’s hottest? Discuss

Christiaan Eijkman (1858)

While seeking a bacterial cause for the nutritional disorder beriberi, Eijkman, a Dutch pathologist, noticed a resemblance between a nerve disorder in his laboratory chickens and the symptoms of beriberi. He traced the chickens’ disorder to a change in their feed—it had been switched from brown to white rice—and surmised that white rice lacked a dietary component found in brown rice. This eventually led to the discovery of vitamins and earned him a 1929 Nobel Prize, which he shared with whom? Discuss