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
Author: Ian
Vaudeville
Before the dawn of movies, vaudeville shows packed US theaters. Following the format of beer hall variety shows, each vaudeville performance had 10–15 unrelated acts that could include anything from acrobats to opera singers. Vaudeville emerged in the early 1880s as former circus performer Tony Pastor cleaned up variety shows. He banned the sale of liquor and eliminated the cruder acts, and his success prompted other managers to do the same. What did Pastor give to vaudeville show attendees? 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
Antoinette Bourignon (1616)
Bourignon was a Flemish Christian mystic. After spending a short time in a convent and as head of an orphanage, she gathered a fanatical following at Amsterdam, believing herself divinely directed to restore the pure spirit of the Gospel. Moving from place to place, she took her printing press with her and disseminated her teachings. Her mystical ideas found particular favor in Scotland, where Bourignianism was declared a heresy. Why did Bourignon flee her home in 1636? Discuss
Dr. James Bedford Becomes First Person to Undergo Cryopreservation (1967)
The field of cryonics involves techniques in which cold is applied for a variety of therapeutic goals, including brief local anesthesia, destruction of superficial skin lesions, and preservation of cells, tissue, and organs—or the entire body—in the hope that healing and resuscitation may be possible in the future. In 1967, Bedford became the first person to have his entire body frozen in perpetuity. Since then, hundreds have undergone the procedure. What celebrities have been frozen? Discuss
The Charan Caste
The members of the Charan caste living in the Gujarat and Rajasthan states of India are revered for their willingness to die for their beliefs and for their bravery in war. Though caste members are taught to respect bravery, loyalty, and truth more than life, they also value the literary arts. Poetry is an integral part of Charan identity, and some caste members are addressed as Kaviraj, a title meaning “Great Poet.” The practice of self-immolation is common in Charan culture. What is it? Discuss
Edmund Burke (1729)
Burke was a British parliamentarian, orator, and political philosopher. Essays he published in the late 1750s gained the attention of Denis Diderot and Immanuel Kant, and he was hired to edit a yearly survey of world affairs. In his many and diverse writings, he left a monumental construction of British political thought that had a profound and long-term influence in England, America, and France. Burke held contrasting opinions on the American and French revolutions. Which did he support? Discuss
The Bâton Percé
Because archeologists are unsure of its original function, they now use the descriptive term bâton percé, meaning “pierced rod,” to refer to this type of prehistoric artifact. Made from a length of antler with a round hole in one end and often etched with designs, the bâton percé was originally believed to be a symbol of power. Later theories suggest it may have been a fertility symbol, arrow straightener, dress fastener, calendar, or spear thrower. How was the latter theory tested? Discuss
Anglo-Zulu War Begins (1879)
The Anglo-Zulu War was fought between the British Empire and the Zulu nation. It began when Zulu king Cetshwayo, determined to resist European advances, rejected British demands to disband his troops. The British attacked, and Cetshwayo routed them at Isandlwana with a disciplined army of 40,000. However, his forces were utterly defeated at Ulundi, with 1,500 Zulus, compared to 13 Britons, killed in the final battle. The British then burned the town. What became of Cetshwayo? Discuss
Digital Physics
First posited by Konrad Zuse in his 1969 book Rechnender Raum, or Calculating Space, the theory of digital physics suggests that the universe is essentially digital or informational and that the entire history of the universe is actually the output of a computer program. Proponents hypothesize that reality is a computer itself or is being implemented on a computer that creates a simulated reality. What arguments do those who work with quantum mechanics make against digital physics? Discuss