Guillermo del Toro (1964)

Del Toro is an Academy Award-nominated Mexican filmmaker whose films often explore the darker elements of fantasy and reflect his fascination with “insects, clockwork, monsters, dark places, and unborn things.” His most acclaimed films to date, Pan’s Labyrinth and The Devil’s Backbone, both feature children living under authoritarian rule while facing frightening supernatural entities and have been compared with what film, considered to be the finest Spanish film of the 1970s? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Rock, Paper, Scissors (RPS) is a hand game, often played by children, that is used as a selection method similar to drawing straws. Though seemingly random, an experienced and attentive player can sometimes recognize the behavior patterns of other players and use this knowledge to his advantage. The game involves 3 hand gestures, each representing rock, paper, or scissors. Each gesture beats one of the other two. In 2006, US Federal Judge Gregory Presnell used RPS to settle a court dispute; how? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Great Chicago Fire (1871)

The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned for more than two days and destroyed about four square miles of the city. It killed hundreds of people, left 90,000 homeless, and destroyed some $200 million worth of property. Originally composed of mostly wooden structures, the city was rebuilt with stone and steel and became a center of industry. According to early accounts of the disaster, the blaze began in a barn owned by Patrick and Catherine O’Leary. What supposedly caused the fire? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Peru Battle of Angamos

The War of the Pacific (1879-1883) began when Chile and Bolivia fought for control of a portion of the Atacama Desert. On October 8, 1879, the Chilean Navy captured Peru’s ironclad warship, the Huáscar, and killed the captain, Admiral Miguel Grau. Chile gained control over the seas and was thus able to invade Peru and Bolivia. October 8 is a national holiday in Peru to remember the lost Battle of Angamos. On this day, military and civil parades are held, and celebrations are held to honor the heroic deeds of Admiral Miguel Grau and his role in the battle. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Henri Louis Le Châtelier (1850)

Le Châtelier was a French chemist best known for devising Le Châtelier’s principle, which makes it possible to predict the effect that a change in conditions—such as temperature, pressure, or concentration of components—will have on a chemical reaction. The principle states that a system in equilibrium, when subjected to a perturbation, will respond in a way that tends to minimize its effect and restore equilibrium. In 1928, Le Châtelier published a book on what system of scientific management? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The Sea Otter

Sea otters are carnivorous, aquatic mammals. Found in and around the kelp beds of the N Pacific, the sea otter is the only exclusively marine species in the otter family. Sea Otters present a rare example of mammalian tool use. They use rocks as tools to pry open food and as weapons to blind their enemies. Hunted to near extinction for their luxuriously dense fur, the otters are now protected under what international treaty? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

French Statesman Leon Gambetta Flees Paris in a Balloon (1870)

Gambetta was a lawyer who gained recognition as an opponent of the Second Empire of Napoleon III and, in 1869, joined the parliamentary opposition. When Napoleon’s empire fell to the Germans, Gambetta organized a government of national defense to drive them out. With Paris under a grueling German siege, he made a spectacular escape to Tours in a balloon, where he continued fighting the Germans as minister of the interior and of war. Gambetta died shortly after being wounded in what accident? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Okunchi Matsuri

The Okunchi Festival in Nagasaki dates back to the 17th century, when many Chinese lived in the city and when both Dutch and Chinese traders regularly anchored their ships there. The festival pays tribute to these traders by presenting both a Dutch dance and a Chinese dragon dance, along with street fairs and other entertainment. The Okunchi Festival also features the traditional procession of the mikoshi—the ornate palanquin on which the local deity is believed to descend for a ride as it is carried through the streets. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary