Airbag Safety Systems

Automotive airbag inflation occurs only milliseconds after crash sensors detect a collision. The airbag’s cushioning effectively prevents direct human impact with dangerous vehicular surfaces and reduces the deceleration passengers experience as they come to a stop. While airbags were initially viewed as an alternative to seatbelts, they are now understood to offer greater protection when used in conjunction with other automotive safety methods. What injuries may result from airbag deployment? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Kristallnacht (1938)

In 1938, using the assassination of a German diplomat in Paris as a pretext, Nazi propagandist Joseph Goebbels urged violent reprisals against Jews. The resulting pogrom left 91 Jews dead and hundreds injured. Some 30,000 Jewish males were arrested and taken to concentration camps, and thousands of Jewish-owned businesses and synagogues were destroyed. The incident marked a major escalation in the Nazi program of Jewish persecution, foreshadowing the Holocaust. Why is it called Kristallnacht? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Birthday of Muhammad Iqbal

In Pakistan, November 9 is a national holiday to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal, a famous Pakistani poet and philosopher. Iqbal was born in the city of Sialkot in the Punjab province of Pakistan on November 9, 1877. On this day, a number of functions are held to honor the great poet. Many educational institutions sponsor programs that showcase his life and achievements. In addition to the main function at Iqbal’s tomb, the National Museum of Pakistan in Karachi exhibits Iqbal’s personal belongings, including his costumes, books, and publications. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Hedy Lamarr (1913)

Lamarr was an Austrian-American actress known primarily for her beauty and her successful film career—including her role as Delilah in Cecil B. DeMille’s Samson and Delilah. However, she also co-invented an early form of spread spectrum encoding—intended to make radio-guided torpedoes harder to detect or jam—in the 1940s with her neighbor, composer George Antheil. They patented the technology in 1942, but it did not come into use until later. Who introduced Lamarr to military technology? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Skydiving

Andre-Jaques Garnerin used his invention, the parachute, when he undertook the first jump from a hot air balloon in 1797. Since then, parachuting, or skydiving, has been utilized in military operations as well as for recreation and sport. Skydiving typically involves jumping from an aircraft at an altitude of about 4,000 m (13,000 ft), free-falling, and then deploying a parachute to slow the landing. Who holds the record for the highest parachute jump in history? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Montezuma Welcomes Cortés upon His Arrival in Tenochtitlán (1519)

Montezuma was the ruler of the Aztecs at the beginning of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, which began in earnest in 1519, when Hernán Cortés scuttled his ships on the Mexican coast and committed himself and his 508 men to conquest. After accumulating thousands of Indian allies who resented Aztec domination, Cortés forged ahead to Tenochtitlán, the Aztec capital. There, Montezuma welcomed him, possibly because he believed Cortés to be the reincarnation of whom? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Edmund Fitzgerald Anniversary

On November 10, 1975, the 26,000-ton ore carrier SS Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest ship on the Great Lakes in its time, sank during a deadly storm on Lake Superior. A commemoration of that tragedy is held at the Mariners’ Church in downtown Detroit, Michigan. As the names of the 29 lost crewmen are read out, a family member or friend of the deceased rings a ship’s bell. Beginning in 2006, the church expanded its service to include a 30th ring to remember all lives lost on the Great Lakes, some 30,000 sailors in 6,000 shipwrecks over the years. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary