Guerrilla gardening is a form of activism in which groups take over abandoned plots of land that they do not own in order to grow crops or plants. The earliest recorded use of the term was in 1973, when the Green Guerilla group transformed a derelict private lot in New York’s Bowery district into a garden. That garden is still being cared for by volunteers and is now protected by the city’s parks department. What American folk hero do some consider an early practitioner of guerrilla gardening? Discuss
National Geographic Society Founded (1888)
The National Geographic Society is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. It was founded in 1888 by a small group of eminent explorers and scientists and, by the turn of the 21st century, boasted approximately nine million members. It has supported more than 7,000 major scientific projects and expeditions, including those of the Leakey family, Jacques Cousteau, and Jane Goodall. What popular traveling exhibits has it sponsored? Discuss
Donna Reed (1921)
Reed was an American film and television actress. In 1946, she starred in Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life, playing Mary Bailey—the wife of James Stewart’s character, George Bailey. She went on to win the 1953 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in From Here to Eternity and later received a Golden Globe for Best Female TV Star for her performance as Donna Stone in The Donna Reed Show. Why did Reed once sue the producers of the TV show Dallas? Discuss
The Day After Roswell
In his book The Day After Roswell, US Army Lt. Colonel Philip Corso claims he participated in the study of extraterrestrial technology recovered from the alleged 1947 Roswell UFO crash. According to Corso, the reverse engineering of these artifacts indirectly led to the development of accelerated particle beam devices, fiber optics, lasers, integrated circuit chips, and Kevlar. Corso also claimed knowledge of a covert government group that had been tasked with what? Discuss
Der Rosenkavalier by Richard Strauss Premieres (1911)
Still regularly performed, Der Rosenkavalier is one of the most acclaimed comic operas of Richard Strauss, the leading composer of romantic opera in the early 20th century. It is loosely based on the works of Molière and Louvet de Couvrai and tells the story of the shifting romantic attachments of four principal characters. Strauss, who often abandoned tonality to emphasize the humor or drama of a scene, composed Der Rosenkavalier in collaboration with what poet? Discuss
Paul Leonard Newman (1925)
Newman was an American actor who captured the darker, less heroic aspects of his best-remembered roles, such as those in The Hustler, Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and The Sting. After eight nominations, he finally won an Academy Award for The Color of Money in 1986. In 1982, he launched his “Newman’s Own” line of food products, donating the profits to various charitable causes. Why was Newman once placed on Richard Nixon’s enemies list? Discuss
King Zog
Zog I, born Ahmet Zogolli, was president of Albania from 1925 to 1928 and king from 1928 to 1939. During the worldwide depression of the 1930s, Zog’s government became almost completely dependent on Italy. Ultimately unable to check Italian dictator Benito Mussolini’s increasing control over his country, Zog was forced into exile. He formally abdicated in 1946, when Albania became a communist republic after WWII. How many assassination attempts is Zog said to have survived during his reign? Discuss
First Emmy Awards for Excellence in Television (1949)
The Emmy Awards are given for outstanding achievement in US television. They are presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which was founded in 1946 and which held the first award ceremony in 1949. Its members vote on outstanding programs, actors, directors, and writers in such categories as drama, comedy, and variety. The Emmy’s name is taken from the nickname “immy” for the image orthicon, a television camera tube. Who won the very first Emmy? Discuss
Govert Teuniszoon Flinck (1615)
A student of Rembrandt, Flinck was a Dutch painter who is remembered mainly for his numerous portraits, many of which are held in the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam. Among his most famous works is the Blessing of Jacob, one of his many religious subjects. However, Flinck was also known for painting scenes from history, such as the Peace of Münster, which illustrates the famous treaty with 19 life-size figures. Flinck even painted his own likeness in the canvas. Where is it? Discuss
Fainting Goats
When a fainting goat is startled, its external muscles freeze for about 10 seconds, causing it collapse as if in a faint. Older goats generally learn to spread their legs or lean against something when startled and remain standing during these episodes. The condition is caused by a hereditary genetic disorder called myotonia congenita, which disrupts the flow of chloride ions into skeletal muscle cells. What key aspect of human fainting does not happen to these goats? Discuss