What’s in a name? When the four new elements just added to the periodic table get official names, don’t expect Unobtanium or T.Lehreronium to emerge. Naming new chemical elements is a super-serious business. Biologists have the leeway to honor cartoon … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
A favorite of Ivan the Terrible, Godunov helped organize Ivan’s administrative system. After Ivan’s death, Boris became virtual ruler of Russia, ostensibly as regent for Ivan’s son Feodor I, who was married to Boris’s sister. Boris was widely believed to have ordered the murder of Feodor’s younger brother and heir, Dmitri, to secure succession for himself. Upon Feodor’s death, a ruling class assembly chose Boris as czar. What happened to Boris’ son and successor, Feodor II? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
This national holiday is also called Victory over Genocide Day and Nation Day. It marks the day in 1979 that Vietnamese troops entered Cambodia and began an assault that ended the bloody regime of the Khmer Rouge. It is estimated that as many as two million Cambodians were killed during the nearly four years that Pol Pot of the Khmer Rouge ruled the country. Victory Day is celebrated with patriotic speeches by government officials, remembrance services for the victims, as well as cultural displays of the era. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Soubirous was a French peasant girl who claimed to see the Virgin Mary in apparitions at a grotto near Lourdes, her home, in 1858. The authorities, skeptical of her visions, subjected her to severe examinations. After years of scrutiny, she was allowed to enter the convent of Notre-Dame de Nevers, where she remained in seclusion until her death at 35. The grotto at Lourdes is now a pilgrimage site, and its waters are reputed to have healing powers. How many pilgrims visit Lourdes each year? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The Iroquois Confederacy is a North American confederacy of indigenous peoples founded by the prophet Deganawidah and his disciple Hiawatha around 1570. In the early 17th c, it inhabited New York State from the Hudson River north to the St Lawrence River and west to the Genesee River. Once their confederacy, complete with a constitution known as the Gayanashagowa, ceased infighting, the Iroquois rapidly became the one of the strongest forces in N America. What are wampum and how are they used? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) A canvas bag that is used to feed an animal (such as a horse).
Synonyms: feedbag.
Usage: The stableboy replaced the horse's nosebag, which had torn in two places.
Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Losing weight is never going to be a piece of cake. But obstacles such as bland food, a rigid eating schedule and hours-long meal prep make sticking to a diet – and seeing the number on the scale steadily decline – much less likely. That’s why it’s smart to … Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Montessori was an educator and the first woman to receive a medical degree in Italy. While working in a clinic for mentally disabled children, she developed a method of teaching that involves immersing children in an environment filled with “learning games” that naturally motivate learning and allow them to develop at their own pace. She opened her first children’s school in 1907 and spent the next 40 years traveling and promoting her method. How many times was she nominated for the Nobel Prize? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
When Jamaica was a Spanish territory in the 16th century, African slaves were brought in to work the plantations. The Spanish eventually left, and the former slaves fled to the mountains. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the island’s British inhabitants were often attacked by descendants of these fugitive slaves, who were called Maroons. The annual Maroon Festival on January 6 commemorates the peace treaty with the English and establishment of the town of Accompong. It is celebrated with traditional dancing and singing, feasts and ceremonies, and the blowing of the abeng. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Moon was an engineering student and dock worker before founding the Unification Church—based on his interpretation of Christianity—in South Korea in 1954. After building a multimillion-dollar business empire, he introduced the movement to the United States in the 1960s. Moon, who claims to be the Messiah and presides over ceremonies often called “mass weddings,” is considered a controversial figure, and his movement is often viewed as a cult. In 1982, he was convicted of what crime? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary