The History of Wallpaper

Wallpaper was used in Europe in the 16th and 17th century as an inexpensive substitute for costly hangings. Outlines were block-printed, and the color was filled in with brush or stencil. The flock technique of printing designs with an adhesive and sprinkling with fine bits of wool or silk was probably first adapted to wallpaper around 1620 in France, but, by the 18th century, England had become principal wallpaper manufacturer. When did the wallpaper craze reach the American colonies? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Ice Sculpture

Sculpting ice presents a number of difficulties stemming from the material’s variability with regard to purity and air content, as well as its tendency to melt. Ice sculptures feature decoratively in some cuisines, especially in Asia, and numerous competitions are held annually around the world where competitors sculpt realistic as well as abstract forms. In Kiruna, Sweden, a hotel made entirely of ice blocks is open from November to May. Where can you visit an ice hotel in North America? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Lego

Lego is a line of toys featuring colorful plastic bricks, gears, and minifigures that can be assembled to create models of almost anything imaginable. The company had very humble beginnings in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen, a poor carpenter from Denmark, but today manufactures about 20 billion bricks a year. A substantial fan culture has developed that has used the toys to build such things as a harpsichord, a pendulum clock, and an electronic lab kit. What does “Lego” mean? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Gulag

The Gulag was a system of forced-labor prison camps in the USSR, from the Russian acronym for the Main Directorate of Corrective Labor Camps, a department of the Soviet secret police. It was first established under Lenin during the early Bolshevik years and ultimately included 476 camp complexes. The system reached its peak after 1928 under Stalin, who used it to maintain the Soviet state by keeping its populace in a state of terror. Whose book publicized the gulag system to the Western world? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Bananas

Bananas rank fourth after rice, wheat, and maize in human food consumption. They are grown in 130 countries worldwide, more than any other fruit crop. In popular culture and commerce, “banana” usually refers to the soft, sweet “dessert” bananas that are usually eaten raw. The bananas from a group of cultivars with firmer, starchier fruit, generally used in cooking rather than eaten raw, are typically known as what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Extra Sensory Perception (ESP)

ESP is an alleged ability to acquire information by means other than the five main senses of taste, sight, touch, smell, and hearing. The term implies sources of information unknown to science. Types of ESP include clairvoyance, aura reading, telepathy, and astral projection. The study of such phenomena is often dubbed “parapsychology.” Zener cards were a common research tool for parapsychologists in the early 20th century. What is drawn on each card, and how are they used? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Migraines

A migraine is a headache characterized by recurrent attacks of severe pain, usually on one side of the head. It may be preceded by flashes or spots before the eyes or a ringing in the ears, and accompanied by double vision, nausea, vomiting, or dizziness. It affects women 3 times as often as men and is frequently inherited. Although the exact cause is unknown, evidence suggests a genetically transmitted functional disturbance of cranial circulation. What is the origin of the word “migraine?” Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

“La Marseillaise”

“La Marseillaise” is the national anthem of France. It was written and composed in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle and became the rallying cry of the French Revolution. Originally known as the “Marching Song of the Rhine Army,” it got its present name because it was first sung on the streets of Paris by troops from Marseille. The words of what famous revolutionary song written in 1870 were intended to be sung to the melody of “La Marseillaise”? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Phi Beta Kappa

Phi Beta Kappa is an academic honor society with the mission of “fostering and recognizing excellence” in undergraduate liberal arts and sciences. Founded at the College of William and Mary in 1776, it is the oldest such society in the US and today boasts 283 chapters and over half a million living members. Its symbol is a golden key engraved with the image of a pointing finger, the Greek letters from which the society takes its name, and three stars. What principles do these stars represent? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Tyne Bridge

The Tyne Bridge is a compression arch suspended-deck bridge over the River Tyne, in northeastern England, near the site of the earliest bridge built there by the Romans. The design of the bridge was based on the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which in turn derived its design from New York’s Hell Gate Bridge. The plan for the bridge was approved in 1924, and it was officially opened in 1928 by King George V. What parts of the bridge were never completed and remain unused? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary