Many cultures consider dragonflies sinister creatures, and a number of the common, vernacular names for the flying insects, such as "devil's needle" and "ear cutter," link them with evil or injury. In truth, dragonflies generally do not attack humans and are valued for their predatory control of harmful insect populations. Dragonflies lay eggs in or […]
As jets began flying higher and faster, the US Air Force became increasingly worried about the safety of its flight crew. Project Excelsior was initiated in 1958 to design a multi-stage parachute system that would allow a safe, controlled descent after a high-altitude ejection. In 1959 and 1960, Captain Joseph Kittinger made a series of […]
The Geghard monastery is one of the most frequented tourist destinations in Armenia. The unique architectural structure is surrounded by towering cliffs, and part of the monastery, known as “the Monastery of the Cave,” was actually carved out of the mountainside. Gregory the Illuminator founded the complex in the 4th century at the site of […]
"The Divine One," Sarah Vaughan was an American jazz contralto with a vast range who worked as a soloist for much of her career. As a child, Vaughan studied piano and organ and began singing in her church choir. As a teenager, she won the famous amateur contest at Harlem's Apollo Theater and was featured […]
Perhaps the most popular and beloved of 20th-century American poets, Frost wrote of the character, people, and landscape of New England. Rooted in the New England landscape, yet deeply symbolic, his work is concerned with human tragedies and fears, the complexities of life, and the ultimate acceptance of one's burdens. Frost was awarded the Pulitzer […]
BartĂłk was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, and collector of folk music. In 1904, having discovered that the folk-music repertory generally accepted as Hungarian was in fact largely urban Roma—Gypsy—music, he set about researching Hungarian folk music. He worked folk themes and rhythms into his own music, achieving a style that was at once nationalistic […]
The Tenerife Disaster was a passenger plane accident that resulted in the highest number of fatalities of any single accident in aviation history, excluding ground fatalities. It occurred when two Boeing 747s, a KLM flight in the midst of takeoff and a PanAm flight taxing in the opposite direction, collided at Los Rodeos Airport on […]
Established in 1972, Heaven's Gate was a cult that advocated self-renunciation, to the point of castration, as preparation for the "transition" to a new life on a spaceship, which adherents believed was trailing behind the comet Hale-Bopp. As the comet made its closest approach to Earth, 39 members of the group committed suicide. Authorities found […]
Five days after John Lennon of the Beatles married the Japanese avant-garde artist Yoko Ono, the couple held the first of two week-long Bed-Ins for Peace as a non-violent way of protesting war and promoting peace. For the first Bed-In, the couple invited members of the press into their Amsterdam hotel room and then sat […]
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