The amount of fish taken from the world’s oceans over the last 60 years has been underestimated by more than 50%, according to a new study. Researchers say that official estimates are missing crucial data on small scale fisheries, illegal fishing and … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Edward VIII became king of Great Britain and Ireland upon the death of his father, George V, in 1936. He enjoyed immense popularity until the announcement of his intention to marry Wallis Warfield Simpson, an American in the midst of divorcing her second husband. The government opposed the marriage, and the two sides clashed until Edward executed a deed of abdication, ending a 325-day reign as the first English monarch to relinquish his throne voluntarily. Who succeeded him? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The eve of St. Agnes’s Day has long been associated with superstitions about how young girls might discover the identity of their future husbands. According to one such belief, a girl who went to bed without any supper on this night would dream of the man she was to marry. John Keats used this legend as the basis for his well-known poem, “The Eve of St. Agnes,” in which a maiden dreams of her lover and wakes to find him at her bedside. St. Agnes was martyred because she had consecrated herself to Christ and refused to marry. She was later named the patron saint of young virgins. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Often remembered as a cigar-puffing nightclub entertainer who continued performing into his late 90s, Burns began his career by forming a comedy team in 1925 with Gracie Allen, whom he married a year later. They performed on radio and television, usually with Allen playing a scatterbrained wife and Burns in the role of an infinitely patient husband. Burns continued to perform after his wife’s retirement, winning an Academy Award and becoming well-known for his recurring film role as what figure? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex built during the Middle Ages by the Moorish monarchs of Granada. It is the finest example of the once flourishing Moorish civilization’s architecture. Its halls and chambers surround a series of open courts, and the interior is adorned with magnificent examples of honeycomb and stalactite vaulting. Detailed geometric designs in marble, alabaster, and carved plaster also decorate the interior. What artist came to study the Alhambra’s tiles in 1922? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (verb) To be full of things; abound or swarm.
Synonyms: pullulate, swarm.
Usage: The street teemed with hundreds of policemen who questioned every potential witness.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Two new mountain lion kittens born recently in the Santa Monica Mountains are attracting celebritylike attention — and speculation about who fathered them. The female and male kittens, now known as P-46 and P-47, were discovered in December in a well-hidden … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Sture was a Swedish statesman and regent of Sweden. When he refused to recognize Christian II of Denmark as king of Sweden, Christian sent a force to aid Sture’s rival, Archbishop Gustaf Trolle, whom Sture had deposed and who was besieged in his castle. Sture defeated the Danish army and imprisoned Trolle. Warfare continued, and Sture was killed in battle, but not before he paved the way for Swedish independence, which was attained under Gustavus I. What was done to Sture’s body after his death? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
On January 19th, members of the Russian Orthodox Church ritually bathe in a river or lake. The day marks the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan, an event called the Epiphany, and Orthodox Catholics believe that bathing outside on that day washes away sin. As believers cut holes in the ice with chainsaws and plunge into the frigid water, priests chant prayers to bless the water. Altars and crosses made of ice and snow are sometimes constructed near the bathing site. Authorities advise against the practice, especially in the freezing temperatures of a Russian winter. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Considered one of the most brilliant and original writers in American literature, Poe was a poet, short-story writer, and critic whose skillfully wrought tales and poems convey with passionate intensity the mysterious, dreamlike, and often macabre forces that pervaded his sensibility. He also pioneered the detective fiction genre with stories such as “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” and “The Purloined Letter.” What mysterious, six-decade-old tradition at Poe’s Baltimore grave was broken in 2010? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary