A hermit crab, the coconut crab is remarkable for its massive pincers as well as its sheer size—it is the world's largest known terrestrial arthropod. Unlike most hermit crabs, coconut crabs cannot swim. Instead of gills, they possess a special organ called a branchiostegal lung, which is suited to absorb oxygen from air rather than water but must be kept moist if it is to function. Why is this type of crab popularly associated with the coconut?More...Discuss
Mikhail Gorbachev Becomes Leader of the Soviet Union (1985)
In 1985, after the death of the third Soviet leader in two years, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power, ushering in an era of political reform with his policies of glasnost and perestroika. He cultivated warmer relations with the US and others and even supported the democratically elected governments that replaced the communist regimes of eastern Europe. In 1991, he resigned the presidency of the USSR, which ceased to exist the same day. How did his own policies lead to the end of his administration?More...Discuss
In the 1950s, Licklider—who had studied math and physics and had a doctorate in psychology—began studying information technology. He was appointed head of information processing at ARPA, the US Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency, in the early 60s. There, he laid the groundwork for computer networking and ARPANET, the precursor of the Internet. He is considered one of the most important figures in computing history and is often compared to what historical trailblazer?More...Discuss
Lithuania had been independent for only 12 years when the Soviets occupied the country in 1940. The people voted for self-rule in February 1990, and the new democratically elected parliament declared independence from the USSR on March 11, 1990. Restoration of Statehood Day is an official holiday in Lithuania.More...Discuss
If you desire to drain to the dregs the fullest cup of scorn and hatred that a fellow human being can pour out for you, let a young mother hear you call dear baby "it." Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927)Discuss
drywall, plasterboard - Drywall is a building material made of a sheet of plaster covered with heavy paper on both sides; it is also called plasterboard. More...
gypsum - From Semitic, a relative or ancestor of Arabic jibs and Hebrew gephes, "plaster." More...
plaster of Paris - So called because it is prepared from the gypsum of Paris, France. More...
