Chameleons shoot their long, sticky tongues out at high speeds to snag an unsuspecting snack. Scientists have long known about the color-changing animals’ tricky prey capture. But new research reveals that the tiniest chameleons actually have the most powerful … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
In 1892, a company was formed in Texas to investigate long-held suspicions that oil might be under an area known as Spindletop Hill. After nine years of exploratory drilling, oil was struck at a depth of 1,139 ft (347 m), resulting in the “Lucas Gusher,” which blew oil more than 150 ft (46 m) in the air. The well produced an estimated 100,000 barrels per day, marking what many consider the birth of the modern petroleum industry. What now well-known companies were involved in the find? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Vodoun is an ancient African pantheistic religion. When it was brought to the Americas by African slaves, it was blended with elements of Christianity into what is known as “Voodoo.” The present African country of Benin, situated on the former kingdom of Dahomey, is known as a center of Vodoun culture. This day is celebrated throughout Benin with processions, Vodoun rituals, dances, and even an international film festival. The celebration’s central activity, however, is the re-enactment of the journey from the slave auction block in the center of town to the ships in the harbor. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Daughter of Emperor Maximilian I, Margaret was a Hapsburg princess and regent of the Netherlands. When she was three, she was betrothed to French dauphin and future King Charles VIII, who later renounced the agreement and married Anne of Brittany. In 1497, she married John of Spain—son of Ferdinand and Isabella—but he died later that year. In 1501, she married Philibert of Savoy; he died in 1504. In 1507, she was made regent of the Netherlands and guardian of what future Holy Roman Emperor? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
While the term golem, a Hebrew word meaning “undeveloped lump,” is used today to refer to someone who is clumsy or slow, the golem of Jewish folklore is a very different creature—an automaton-like servant made of clay that is supernaturally endowed with life. The most famous golem legend involves 16th century rabbi Judah Löw, who created a massive clay servant to protect Prague’s Jewish ghetto from violence and persecution. What events compelled Rabbi Löw to later destroy his golem? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) A large number or amount or extent.
Synonyms: hatful, lot, mint, muckle, peck, slew, spate, tidy sum, wad, stack, raft, pile, plenty, mass, batch, heap, deal, flock, pot, mess, sight.
Usage: It was only when he found a mickle of old letters in the basement that he learned his grandmother had been a prolific and talented writer.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
Coaches at Harrisonville High School, in Missouri, still have the tape of Michael Keck’s first football game. The freshman starter — powerfully built and preternaturally talented for someone so young — barrels toward an opposing player, tackling him … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Martyrs’ Day is a Panamanian holiday commemorating the 1964 riots that began after a Panamanian flag was torn in a conflict between Panamanian and Canal Zone students over the right of the Panamanian flag to be flown alongside the US flag. US Army units became involved in suppressing the violence, and 4 soldiers and more than 20 Panamanians were killed. The incident contributed to the US decision to transfer control of the Canal Zone to Panama. When was full control of the canal given to Panama? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Fiesta of Quiapo District is the largest festival in Manila, Philippines. It is held each year in honor of the Quiapo District’s patron saint, the Black Nazarene, a life-sized statue of Jesus carved from blackwood, whose shrine is located in Quiapo’s baroque church. The traditional nine-day fiesta features nightly cultural events, band concerts, and fireworks. On the last day of the festival, January 9, there is a procession of barefoot men pulling a carriage that holds the 200-year-old statue on the way to Calvary. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Halliburton was an American adventurer and pioneer of adventure journalism. He liked to recreate historical and legendary feats in his travels, such as Hannibal’s passage over the Alps on an elephant and Odysseus’s journey around the Mediterranean, and made his living writing and lecturing about his experiences. He is, however, perhaps best known for having swum the length of the Panama Canal. He disappeared while attempting to sail a Chinese junk, the Sea Dragon, from Hong Kong to where? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary