Also known as the Battle of the Eclipse, the Battle of Halys was fought between the Medes and the Lydians in 585 BCE at the Halys River in what is now Turkey. The final battle of a 15-year war between Alyattes II of Lydia and Cyaxares of Media, the fight ended abruptly due to a total solar eclipse, which was perceived as an omen that the gods wanted the war to end. After a truce, the river was declared the border of the two nations. How is the exact date of the ancient battle known? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
A military junta called the 
Larsson was a popular and imaginative Swedish illustrator and painter whose watercolors, particularly of his family and home, became popular worldwide. He is perhaps best known, however, for his last monumental work, Midvinterblot, or “Midwinter Sacrifice,” a large oil painting depicting a scene from Norse mythology. Considered Sweden’s most debated painting, it was commissioned by the National Museum in Stockholm but was rejected by the board upon its completion. Where does it now hang? 
The Nutcracker, a celebrated ballet by Tchaikovsky, tells the story of a young girl whose Christmas gift of a nutcracker turns into a prince and leads her to a magical land. In 1954, George Balanchine choreographed and premiered his New York City Ballet version, which was later made into a feature film. Mikhail Baryshnikov choreographed another enormously popular version for the American Ballet Theatre. What novel instrument did Tchaikovsky use in the Nutcracker score? 
Operation Anthropoid was the code name for the Czechoslovak-British plan to assassinate top Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich, a chief planner of the so-called Final Solution whose ruthlessness and numerous execution orders earned him the nickname “the Hangman of Europe.” In May 1942, Heydrich was ambushed by Czech patriots and wounded. A week later, he died from his injuries. This was one of the only successful assassinations of a top-ranking Nazi leader during the war. How did the Nazis retaliate? 
Australia sets aside the week between May 27 and June 3 to honor the culture and history of its 
Louis-Ferdinand Céline was the pen name of French writer and doctor Louis-Ferdinand Destouches. Considered one of the most influential French writers of the 20th century, he developed a writing style that aimed to capture the rhythm of everyday speech. He remains, however, a controversial figure, partly due to his virulent anti-Semitism. After World War II, France convicted him of being a Nazi collaborator but later granted him amnesty. What punctuation mark was he especially fond of? 
Mt. Carmel is a mountain ridge in Israel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. Long an object of veneration, it was associated in biblical times with the lives of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. From the mountainside vineyards comes the renowned Mt. Carmel wine, and at the foot of Mt. Carmel is the port of Haifa. On its slopes are a Baha’ist garden shrine, with the tombs of Bab-ed-din and of Abdul Baha, and a 19th-century Carmelite monastery. What strategic role did Mt. Carmel play during WWI? 
Poetry’s unnat’ral; no man ever talked poetry ‘cept a beadle on boxin’ day.