A rare great ape, a 130-foot-tall tree and an extinct marsupial lion make the Top 10 New Species lis

The highest branches of a Brazilian forest. The permanent darkness of a cave in China. The deepest place on Earth. Life has carved niches for itself in the most extreme and stunning habitats. As a result, it has taken on surprising — and just plain … Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Former Slave Isabella Baumfree Becomes Sojourner Truth (1843)

Born into slavery in New York, Baumfree had four different masters before escaping with her infant daughter in 1826, one year before the state abolished slavery. She traveled and championed abolition, changing her name in 1843. Her dictated memoirs were published as The Narrative of Sojourner Truth: A Northern Slave. In 1851, she delivered what is now known as the “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech at the Women’s Rights Convention. How did the first report of the speech differ from later accounts? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Dr. Henry Faulds (1843)

Faulds was a Scottish doctor and scientist who pioneered the study of fingerprints as forensic evidence. He first became interested in fingerprints after noticing the imprints left by craftsmen’s fingertips in ancient pottery. Convinced that fingerprints could be a valuable investigative tool, Faulds unsuccessfully tried to convince Scotland Yard to employ his methods. His findings went largely unnoticed during his lifetime. How does Darwin’s cousin factor into a controversy over Faulds’s work? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Troy Town

Many of England’s historic turf mazes—labyrinthine paths formed by cutting complex patterns into grass—were given names that incorporate the word “Troy,” such as Troy Town, The City of Troy, or Troy’s Walls. Such names were presumably used because, according to popular legend, the walls of the city of Troy were constructed in such a confusing and complex manner that any enemy who entered would be unable to find his way out. What is thought to have been the original purpose of these turf mazes? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Titanic’s Last Survivor Dies (2009)

More than 1,500 lives were lost when the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage in 1912. However, several hundred of the ship’s 2,200 passengers managed to survive. Among them was Millvina Dean, who, at just three months of age, was the ship’s youngest passenger. Though she escaped with her mother and brother, her father did not survive. Eventually, she became the disaster’s last living survivor. Who helped pay for her healthcare costs toward the end of her life? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Marie-René-Auguste-Aléxis, Saint-Léger Léger (1887)

Known in literary circles by his nom de plume, Saint-John Perse, Léger was a French poet and diplomat. He was one of Europe’s foremost diplomats prior to World War II, but he opposed appeasement of the Nazis and was dismissed by the collaborationist Vichy government in 1940. He then fled to the US, where he remained for nearly two decades. During that time, his reputation as a poet grew, and in 1960, “the soaring flight and evocative imagery of his poetry” earned him what literary award? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary

Boggarts

Boggarts are malevolent household spirits of British folklore that latch on to unfortunate families and cause trouble for them by making things disappear, making milk go sour, and even stripping the linens off of beds in which people are sleeping. Superstitions about boggarts vary but often include the beliefs that the creatures should never be named and that hanging a horseshoe on the door of a house will keep them away. The features of what Uranian moon are named after mischievous spirits? Discuss

Source: The Free Dictionary