Harold Lloyd (1893)

Famous for his comic portrayals of a wistful innocent with horn-rimmed glasses who blunders in and out of hair-raising situations, American movie actor Harold Lloyd was the most popular film comedian of the 1920s. He appeared in over 500 films, including many shorts, spanning both the silent and sound eras. Noted for his use of physical danger as a source of comedy, he performed his own stunts, famously hanging from the hands of a clock far above the street in an iconic scene from what film? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Marching Bands

A marching band is a sporting group of instrumental musicians that generally performs outdoors. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments, and the music usually incorporates a strong rhythmic component suitable for marching. Marching bands grew out of military bands, which used to control troop movements on the field. What military traditions survive in modern marching bands? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

The World’s First Space Station Is Launched (1971)

The world’s first space station, the Soviet Salyut 1, was launched in 1971. The cosmonauts aboard the Soyuz 11 spacecraft were the first to enter, remaining aboard for 22 days. By 1982, five more Salyut space stations had been orbited successfully, two of them for military purposes. By rotating the crews regularly, the Soviets were able to staff the stations for extended periods. All the Salyut space stations decayed and are no longer in orbit. What happened to Salyut 1? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Venezuela Declaration of Independence Day

Revolutionary struggle against Spanish rule began in Venezuela in 1810. On July 5, 1811, a group of citizens in Caracas became the first in South America to proclaim a formal declaration of independence from Spain. Forces led by Simón Bolívar assured independence in 1821. April 19 is a separate national holiday, known as Declaration of Independence Day, while July 5 is celebrated as Independence Day. Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Glenn Seaborg (1912)

In 1940, American chemist Glenn Seaborg and his colleagues discovered plutonium. He soon joined the Manhattan Project and was instrumental in the development of the atomic bomb, which he unsuccessfully pressed President Truman not to use on civilian targets. In 1951, he and Edwin McMillan shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work on transuranium elements. During his lifetime, Seaborg held dozens of patents—among them the only patents ever issued for what? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Slot Machines

Slot machines are popular casino games that constitute about 70% of the average casino’s income. The player pulls a handle to rotate a series of reels that have pictures printed on them. Winning or losing is determined by which pictures line up with the pay line, a line in the middle of a viewing window. Some believe skill is involved in the game, but the probability of a win is determined by the game’s random number generator. Who invented the slot machine? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

WWI: French Pilot Roland Garros Lands Behind Enemy Lines (1915)

One of the first flying aces in history, Roland Garros was a French aviator and WWI fighter pilot. Early in the war, Garros fitted a machine gun to the front of his plane so that he could shoot while flying and soon downed three German aircrafts. While on a mission in 1915, his fuel line clogged, and he was forced to land behind German lines. He was captured and held as a prisoner of war until 1918, when he managed to escape and rejoin the French army. What happened when he returned to combat? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary