In Ancient Greece, topographers were charged with writing detailed descriptions of places, works that are now called “local histories.” By the 20th c, the practice of topography had evolved into the study and representation of the features and configuration of land surfaces. Topographic maps use symbols and coloring to represent elevations, depressions, and depths of water and depict the contours of both natural and man-made features. In what other scientific fields has topography been applied? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Sir Richard Hotham was an 18th century politician and property developer who rose to a position of prominence from his humble beginnings as a hatter. During the 1760s, Hotham gained control of a number of ships belonging to the British East India Company and used the money from this venture to enter into property development. A short time later, he began his political career, eventually becoming a Member of Parliament. What led him to develop the village of Bognor into a seaside resort? 
According to newspaper records, in 1795 excavations began at the site of a mysterious depression on Nova Scotia’s Oak Island. A layer of flagstones was found buried a few feet below the surface, and layers of logs were uncovered at 10 ft (3 m) intervals. At a depth of about 90 ft (27 m), a large stone bearing an inscription of symbols was recovered; and translations revealed the secret message, “forty feet below, two million pounds lie buried.” Whose treasure is believed to be buried there? 
While the term golem, a Hebrew word meaning “undeveloped lump,” is used today to refer to someone who is clumsy or slow, the golem of Jewish folklore is a very different creature—an automaton-like servant made of clay that is supernaturally endowed with life. The most famous golem legend involves 16th century rabbi Judah Löw, who created a massive clay servant to protect Prague’s Jewish ghetto from violence and persecution. What events compelled Rabbi Löw to later destroy his golem? 
When Thomas Austin released 24 rabbits onto his Australian farm in 1859, he was unaware of the damage they would cause to the Australian ecosystem. Within 35 years, the rabbits, which had no natural predators in Australia, spread throughout the mainland and destroyed millions of acres of farmland. In 1901, construction began on a fence that would traverse Western Australia from north to south and was intended to contain the rabbits east of the barrier. What animal was used to inspect the fence? 
Lingua Ignota, Latin for “unknown language,” is considered one of the first constructed languages, meaning that it was devised by an individual and did not evolve naturally within a culture. The 12th century abbess Saint Hildegard developed the 23-letter language, describing it in a two-manuscript work containing a 1,011 word glossary. She defines her words in hierarchical order, listing the terms for God and angels before words for humans. What is the language’s relationship to Latin? 
The Iroquois Confederacy is a North American confederacy of indigenous peoples founded by the prophet Deganawidah and his disciple Hiawatha around 1570. In the early 17th c, it inhabited New York State from the Hudson River north to the St Lawrence River and west to the Genesee River. Once their confederacy, complete with a constitution known as the Gayanashagowa, ceased infighting, the Iroquois rapidly became the one of the strongest forces in N America. What are wampum and how are they used? 
During Game 1 of the 1954 World Series, Willie Mays of the New York Giants made one of the greatest and most famous plays in the history of baseball. In the eighth inning, with the score tied 2–2, Mays tracked down a deep fly ball and caught it over his shoulder before spinning and hurling it to the infield to keep the runners in place and prevent the Cleveland Indians from taking the lead. The tied game went into extra innings and ended when which team finally scored its winning runs? 
On September 5, 2005, a Jakarta-bound jetliner operated by Mandala Airlines crashed into a heavily populated residential area mere seconds after taking off from Polonia International Airport. At least 39 people on the ground and 104 passengers reportedly died in the incident. The plane had been inspected only a few months earlier and was deemed airworthy. Some suspect that the crash resulted from illegal overloading of the flight. Supposedly, more than two tons of what was onboard? 
In 1982, Atari published the first port version of Namco’s popular Pac-Man arcade game for their Atari 2600 console. Though the world’s favorite arcade game could now be played on the most popular console, the release met with criticism and slow sales. In Atari’s rush to bring the game to market, quality was sacrificed, shaking consumer confidence in both the company and video game industry. Why did Atari produce more copies of the game than there were users with compatible consoles?