Heroin and alcohol were blamed for the deaths of two American security officers aboard the infamous cargo ship Maersk Alabama, police in the Seychelles have concluded, citing a toxicology report on Tuesday. The two, Jeffrey Reynolds and Mark Kennedy, in their 40s, were found dead in a cabin aboard the…
Mary was 37 at the time of her accession. She knew that if she remained childless, the throne would pass to her Protestant half-sister, Elizabeth. She needed a Catholic heir to avoid the reversal of her reforms. To accomplish this goal, she arranged to marry Philip II of Spain. Cardinal…
For many people in Victorian and Edwardian Britain, consuming alcohol meant more than simply mainlining intoxication. Alcohol was both an ordinary and an extraordinary substance that constituted an integral part of everyday life. As dinner beer it was the antidote to the toils of the working day. In the early…
“If” is a song written by American singer-songwriter David Gates in 1971. Originally popularized by his group Bread, “If” charted at No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 when released as a single in 1971 and No. 6 in Canada. This acoustic ballad is one of Bread’s trademark tunes.…
Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country often plagued by drought and hunger. In 2002, following a severe drought, Kamkwamba built a windmill to bring electricity to his family’s home. Kamkwamba was born in Malawi, a country often plagued by drought and hunger. In 2002, following a severe drought, Kamkwamba…
One of the Stasi’s main tasks was spying on the population, primarily through a vast network of citizens-turned-informants, and fighting any opposition by overt and covert measures, including hidden psychological destruction of dissidents (Zersetzung, literally meaning “decomposition”). The Stasi was one of the most hated and feared institutions of the…
By leaving his home in Corinth, Oedipus thinks he has escaped a terrible prophecy that says that he will kill his father and marry his mother. Oedipus has defeated the riddling Sphinx, saved the seven-gated city of Thebes, and married the queen Jocasta. Continuing on his way, Oedipus found Thebes…
On October 17, 1707, Johann Sebastian Bach married his cousin Maria Barbara Bach at Dornheim. After Maria died Bach married Anna Magdalena Wilcken, the daughter of a trumpeter at Weissenfels, on December 3, 1721. Bach was married twice – first to Maria BarbaraMaria BarbaraMaria Barbara Bach (30 October [O.S. 20…
Chandler decides it is a four, and Monica agrees. They arrive at Las Vegas wedding chapel to get married but have to wait as the chapel is currently in use. Finally, its occupants burst out in joyous celebration: Ross and Rachel, still drunk and doodled-on, and now legally married. Unfortunately,…
Big Boy had what is known as the duodenal switch surgery. More than 70 percent of his stomach was removed, and his intestines were rerouted. Eight years later, he maintains his weight right around 200 pounds. Big Boy had what is known as the duodenal switch surgery. More than 70…