In 1896, a banquet was planned in Moscow’s Khodynka Field to celebrate the crowning of Nicholas II as Tsar of Russia. When rumors spread of lavish gifts to be bestowed by the new leader, hoards of people began gathering at the coronation square. Suddenly, rumors of a gift shortage began circulating through the crowd. In the resulting disorder and panic, 1,389 people were trampled to death and another 1,300 were injured. What were the coronation gifts that inadvertently led to this disaster? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
One of Australia’s worst natural disasters took place in January 1939, when bushfires broke out in the state of Victoria. Over the course of several days, fires burned nearly 5 million acres of land, killing 71 people, destroying thousands of homes and businesses, and ravaging entire towns. An extremely hot and dry summer had preceded the fires, and the day they broke out, temperatures in Melbourne soared to a record 114.1 °F (45.6 °C). How long was it before the city had a hotter day than that? 
On January 13, 1967, Togo president Nicolas Grunitzky was overthrown by 
Tucker was a Russian-born American singer and entertainer who began performing vaudeville as a child, singing ragtime melodies in blackface. She later abandoned the makeup but continued in the African-American style, helping popularize the songs of black composers. Known for her racy songs, she enjoyed great success on tour and went on to appear in several stage and movie musicals but was best known as a nightclub torch singer. In her later years, she was billed under what moniker? 
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? 
The RMS Queen Mary 2 (QM2) is a Cunard Line ocean liner named after the earlier Cunard liner Queen Mary, which was, in turn, named after Mary of Teck, the Queen Consort of George V. With 15 restaurants and bars, 5 pools, a casino, a ballroom, a theater, and a planetarium, the QM2 was the largest ocean liner in the world at the time of its construction, as well as the longest, widest, and tallest passenger ship. What ship challenged that distinction in 2006?