Ansgar (801 CE)

The patron saint of Scandinavia, Ansgar was a missionary and the first archbishop of Hamburg. He was sent by Louis I to help King Harald Christianize Denmark and King Bjorn Christianize Sweden. He initiated a mission to all Scandinavians and Slavs and was appointed archbishop of Hamburg in 832. When Sweden and Denmark returned to paganism by 845, Ansgar thwarted the pagan rebellion. He was recognized as a saint soon after his death. Ansgar is often called the Apostle of what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Molecular Machines

A molecular machine is a minute mechanism consisting of molecular components that perform mechanical-like movements in response to specific stimuli. Chemists have synthesized a number of simple molecular machines, including molecular propellers and molecular motors, the latter of which are powered by light or reactions with other molecules and are capable of unidirectional rotation. Far more complex biological versions of these artificial nanomachines are found in living cells. What do they do? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

First Miss America Pageant Held in Atlantic City, New Jersey (1921)

The Miss America Pageant, now an American institution, began in 1921 as an attempt by Atlantic City businessmen to keep tourists in town after Labor Day. The weeklong event features the 50 state pageant winners and includes evening gown, swimsuit, and talent competitions. Its winner receives a $50,000 scholarship and spends the next year traveling and making lucrative personal appearances. What unusual skills have contestants demonstrated in the talent competition over the years? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Brazil Independence Day

A declaration of independence was made by Pedro di Alcântara (1798-1834) on this day in 1822. Brazil had been a colony of Portugal since the 16th century. Alcântara, better known as Pedro I, became the first emperor of Brazil in 1823 and ruled until 1831. Independence Day is a public holiday in Brazil, and there are celebrations in Brasília, the capital, with parades of military personnel and floats decorated with flowers. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Laura Ashley (1925)

Ashley was a British fashion designer and manufacturer. After serving in the Women’s Royal Naval Service during World War II, she founded a company with her husband to produce silkscreened placemats, scarves, and tea towels. Her romantic and old-fashioned look carried over into women’s clothing, home furnishings, children’s wear, fabrics, wall coverings, and decorative accessories. What inspired Ashley to start printing Victorian-style fabric in 1953? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Seizure of the Grand Mosque

On November 20, 1979, approximately 200 armed Islamic fundamentalist dissidents opposed to the Saudi ruling family took over Islam’s holiest place, the Al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. After 127 Saudi Arabian National Guard members were killed in an unsuccessful attempt to regain control, the nervous Saudi government called in French and Pakistani forces, which retook the shrine in a battle that left approximately 250 dead and 600 wounded. What happened to the surviving militants? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Test of Experimental Alzheimer’s Drug Finds Progress against Brain Plaques

An experimental drug dramatically reduced the toxic plaques found in the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, a team reports in the journal Nature. Results from a small number of patients who received a high dose of the drug, called aducanumab, hint … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary