Despite having such large ears that some doubted he could become a romantic lead, Gable had a rugged masculinity and lighthearted charm that proved popular with audiences. The actor debuted on Broadway in 1928 and went to Hollywood in 1930. There he starred in Mutiny on the Bounty, Gone with the Wind, and It Happened One Night, for which he won an Academy Award. What tragedy prompted him to give up show business and become a bomber pilot during World War II? Discuss
Tessellations
Tessellations are patterns of carefully juxtaposed, non-overlapping shapes—like the multicolored tiles of a mosaic—that fill a given surface. They have been used throughout history, from ancient architecture to modern art, and are frequently found in the works of M.C. Escher. Regular tessellations, which are highly symmetrical and made up of congruent, regular polygons, can only be formed using equilateral triangles, squares, or hexagons. Where can tessellations be observed in the natural world? Discuss
Vintage
A term used to classify wine, vintage describes the yield of wine or grapes from a vineyard or region during one season and usually identifies a high quality product. In contrast, wine made from the produce of multiple years is deemed non-vintage. Wines of superior vintages often command higher prices than those from average vintages, especially if they are likely to improve with age. Were experts who took part in a recent blind tasting able to distinguish between wines of good and bad vintages? Discuss
First Anglo-Japanese Alliance Signed in London, England (1902)
The First Anglo-Japanese Alliance was signed to protect the respective interests of Britain and Japan in China and Korea. Directed against Russian expansionism, the alliance helped Japan by discouraging France from entering the Russo-Japanese War on the Russian side. The alliance later prompted Japan to join the Allies in World War I. Britain allowed the alliance to lapse after the war, when it no longer feared Russian encroachment in China. What were the cultural effects of the alliance? Discuss
Shirley Hazzard (1931)
Hazzard is an Australian novelist and short-story writer who has lived in the US since 1951. She and her husband, writer Francis Steegmuller, were both frequent contributors to The New Yorker magazine. Noted for her lyrical style, she achieved early success with her first story collection, Cliffs of Fall. Her 1980 novel, The Transit of Venus, brought her literary acclaim and a greatly expanded readership. Hazzard did not publish her next novel until 2003. What was it? Discuss
The African Wild Dog
The African wild dog has the strongest bite, relative to its mass, of any existing carnivorous mammal. Also known as the “painted dog,” the species can be identified by its mottled black, yellow, and white coat. Wild dogs once freely roamed sub-Saharan Africa, but they are now threatened by hunting, disease, and habitat loss. With fewer than 3,000 remaining in the wild, they have been named the second most endangered carnivore in Africa. How do they bring meat back to their dens after a hunt? Discuss
Emanuel Swedenborg (1688)
Swedenborg was a Swedish scientist, theologian, and mystic. He studied almost every field of scientific investigation and wrote copiously, publishing Sweden’s first scientific journal and anticipating many discoveries and inventions. However, his writing gradually shifted toward philosophy and metaphysics. In 1744, he claimed to have had a divine vision. He spent the rest of his career interpreting the Bible and relating what he had seen in his visions, and he called himself a servant of whom? Discuss
Baobab
Exceeded in trunk diameter only by sequoias, baobabs are gigantic trees native to Africa, Australia, and India. Some are reputed to be thousands of years old, but their ages are impossible to verify because the wood does not produce annual growth rings. Though wide enough to be hollowed out for dwellings, baobabs are not very tall, and are often called “bottle trees” and “upside-down trees” because of their appearance. What is “the Boab Prison Tree,” and how was it once used? Discuss
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice First Published (1813)
Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice while living at “Steventon,” her father’s Hampshire vicarage where she spent the first 25 years of her life. However, the book was not published until much later—in 1813, four years before her death. Like Austen’s other novels, Pride and Prejudice is a comedy of manners that depicts the self-contained world of provincial ladies and gentlemen. In 2003, the novel placed second in a BBC poll for the “UK’s Best-Loved Book.” What book came first? Discuss
Arthur Rubinstein (1887)
Rubinstein was a Polish-American pianist whose enormous popularity spanned many decades. He debuted in 1900 and performed with moderate success until the 1930s, when he stopped performing for five years to improve his technique and reemerged as a giant of 20th-century music, active into his 80s. In the US, he was equally noted as soloist and chamber musician. His repertoire ranged from Bach to 20th-century Spanish composers, but he was particularly noted for his interpretation of what composer? Discuss