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Readings from TheFreeDictionary.com
» Today in History
- » Mount Saint Helens Erupts (1980)
Beginning in mid-March 1980, a series of earth tremors and steam explosions at Washington's Mount Saint Helens suggested that the volcano?dormant since 1857?was on the verge of erupting. Then, on May 18, the entire north side of the mountain exploded in a cloud of ash, rock, and fiery gases that collapsed a good part of it and carried debris for many miles. About 60 people were killed, and millions of tons of ash blanketed much of the American northwest. How far did the ash eventually spread? Discuss
Read More » - » Muhammad Ali Becomes of Egypt (1805)
Four years after Ali, an Ottoman army commander, helped drive Napoleon from Ottoman-ruled Egypt, he was named wali?governor?of Egypt. He helped modernize Egypt and attempted to secure its independence. Though unsuccessful, his efforts established his progeny as the rulers of Egypt and Sudan for nearly 150 years and rendered Egypt a de facto independent state. He is thus considered one of the fathers of modern Egypt. How did Ali trick Egypt's Mameluke leaders into walking into a massacre?
Read More » - » Junko Tabei Becomes First Woman to Summit Mount Everest (1975)
Tabei founded a climbing club for women in Japan in 1969 and, by 1972, was a recognized mountain climber. When Japanese newspaper and television companies sponsored an all-female expedition to climb Mount Everest, Tabei was one of the 15 women selected to go. In 1975, after months of training and preparation, the 35-year-old mother of two became the first woman to reach Everest's 29,035-foot (8,850-m) summit. What disaster partway up the slope nearly ended the climb?
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» Today's Birthday
- » Walter Adolph Gropius (1883)
Gropius was the immensely influential director of the Bauhaus school of art and architecture in Germany. In 1937, he immigrated to America and became head of Harvard's architecture department. He was an early exponent of the International style and believed that all design?whether of a chair, a building, or a city?should focus on the particular needs and problems involved, without regard to old styles. His 1923 re-design of what everyday object is now considered an icon of 20th-century design? Discuss
Read More » - » Dennis Lee Hopper (1936)
Hopper was an American film actor. He appeared in two films with James Dean in the 1950s but achieved fame of his own after directing and starring in 1969's Easy Rider. His career foundered in the 70s, but important roles in Apocalypse Now (1979) and Blue Velvet (1986) helped him revitalize his career in the 80s and 90s. In addition to acting, he was a noted artist. In 1983, he checked into rehab shortly after performing what daredevil stunt involving dynamite?
Read More » - » Henry Jaynes Fonda (1905)
Henry Fonda was an American film actor who started out on Broadway. His role in the 1934 play The Farmer Takes a Wife led to a role in the film version, and more than 100 other films followed. He portrayed honest men in movies such as The Grapes of Wrath (1940) and won an Academy Award in 1982 for his last film, On Golden Pond, made with his daughter, Jane. Married five times, he was also the father of actor Peter Fonda. Whose murder did Fonda witness as a teen?
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» Today's Article
- » Etruscan Mythology
Etruscan civilization reached its height in the 6th century BCE in what is now Italy, and much of its religion was later adopted by the Romans. Famous for divination, the Etruscans believed that the will of the gods was present in every aspect of nature and looked for divine signs everywhere, including in lightning, the livers of sacrificed animals, and the flight of birds. What example did the Roman philosopher Seneca use to illustrate the different religious approaches of Romans and Etruscans? Discuss
Read More » - » Scabies, the "Seven-Year Itch"
Scabies is a highly contagious?yet highly treatable?parasitic skin disease caused by tiny mites. Often contracted through contact with mite-infested persons, it is most prevalent in crowded, unhygienic areas and has plagued mankind for centuries. Female mites tunnel into the host's skin to deposit their eggs, triggering a massive allergic reaction that causes intense itching. Scratching the skin causes lesions that may then become infected. Most scabies infestations are caused by how many mites?
Read More » - » Picts
The Picts were the ancient inhabitants of central and northern Scotland. Of uncertain origins, they were first mentioned in 297 CE by Roman writer Eumenius as northern invaders of Roman Britain. By the 7th century, they had a unified kingdom?Pictland?but later merged with the Scots. Their language is lost, and little is definitively known about their way of life, but their elaborately carved stelae depicting crosses and other symbols remain. What practice possibly resulted in the name "Pict"?
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» Today's News
- » EU Attacks Pirate Bases
Seaborne piracy against transport vessels remains a significant issue, particularly in the waters off the coast of Somalia, where the hijacking of commercial vessels and their crew for exorbitant ransoms is becoming an increasingly frequent occurrence. Military vessels from countries around the globe have long patrolled the dangerous waters, and now the EU is taking the fight to the pirates’ doorsteps. In an effort to deny the pirates a safe haven on shore and to disrupt their operations, EU forces conducted their first raid on pirate bases on the mainland. The strike destroyed a key supply center and rendered at least five of the pirates’ fast attack vessels inoperable. Discuss
Read More » - » War Crimes Trial of Ratko Mladic Underway
The trial of former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic, dubbed the "Butcher of Bosnia," began yesterday at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. He was charged with 11 counts of genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity for his actions during the three-year conflict, particularly his orchestration of the 1995 massacre of some 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys in Srebrenica and the 44-month siege of Sarajevo, during which an estimated 10,000 civilians died. After the war, Mladic went into hiding and spent 15 years on the run before being captured in 2011. He faces life in prison if convicted.
Read More » - » Top Lord's Resistance Army Commander Captured
Just months after the controversial Kony 2012 campaign brought worldwide attention to accused Ugandan war criminal Joseph Kony and his Lord's Resistance Army, Ugandan forces have captured one of his top generals. The arrest of Caesar Achellam in an ambush in Central African Republic is considered a significant blow to the rebel group and could prompt other members of the group to desert. The increased pressure on Kony is apparently taking a toll, forcing him to move almost daily in order to evade capture.
Read More »
Readings from the New York Times
» Health News
- » Rare Genetic Mutations May Underpin Diseases
- » A Stem-Cell-Based Drug Gets Approval in Canada
- » Well: Does Facebook Turn People Into Narcissists?
» Business News
- » A Start-Up Is Gold for Facebook?s New Millionaires
- » DealBook: Long Odds on a Big Facebook Payday
- » How Will Facebook?s Stock Fare?
» Arts News
- » Art Review: The Barnes Foundation, From Suburb to City
- » Donna Summer, 1948-2012: Donna Summer, Queen of Disco, Dies at 63
- » Art Review: ?Monet?s Garden? at the New York Botanical Garden
» Science News
- » The Texas Tribune: Legislation Proposed to Extend Texas Helium Sales Deadline
- » Rare Genetic Mutations May Underpin Diseases
- » SpaceX Is Set to Send Its Rocket to the Space Station
Third-Party Materials
Both Simple English Wikipedia and BeeOasis.com have readings at the TOEFL level and on TOEFL topics.