The Nobel Prize in Physics

To understand the impact of physics on the world, and the achievements of physicists in recent history, it is very important to have, at very least, a cursory awareness of the Nobel Prize of Physics over the years, and the winners who won them. It has been awarded since 1901, with the first winner being Wilhelm Roentgen, who discovered "Roentgen Rays" now better known as "X rays". He donated the monetary reward he received to his university. The 1902 prize was awarded to Lorentz and Zeeman for the discovery and theoretical explanation of the "Zeeman effect". Its practical use is in magnetograms showing the variations in the magnetic field of the sun.

When did the Dinosaurs Get Extinct?

The dinosaurs are believed to have gone extinct around 66 million years ago, as part of a mass extinction sometimes known as Cretaceous-Tertiary (or "K-T") extinction that wiped out as many as three quarters of plant and animal species on earth. Evidence for this extinction lies in iridium rich layer of sediment found in rocks believed to have come from an asteroid.

The asteroid theory has been dubbed the Alvarez hypothesis after the Nobel prize winner and San Francisco-born Luis Alvarez who proposed it. Luis Alvarez gained his PhD from the University of Chicago and was a member of California's Bohemian Club (founded 1872). Observing particle interactions through a bubble chamber he designed was key to him winning the Nobel Prize.

What is Quechua?

Quechua is a language spoken in the Andes in South America. It was the language of the Inca empire. However there is limited written material on it and it remains primarily a spoken language.

The Infiltrator (2016)

The Infiltrator (2016) is a movie directed by Brad Furman, who also directed The Lincoln Lawyer (2011). He has also directed music videos. It is based on a real life story from the 1980s that exposed the money laundering operation of Pablo Escobar and took down BCCI.

Land of Bhutan and its Biodiversity

Evidence shows that Bhutan was inhabited as early as 2000 BC. Buddhism was introduced to Bhutan in the 7th Century AD. Animals include the golden langur, also found in Western Assam in India. The takin is the national animal, which, according to mitochondrial research, is closely related to the sheep.

Land of Bhutan

Evidence shows that Bhutan was inhabited as early as 2000 BC. Buddhism was introduced to Bhutan in the 7th Century AD. Animals include the golden langur, also found in Western Assam in India. The takin is the national animal, which, according to mitochondrial research, is closely related to the sheep.

Ben Hur (2016)

The Modern Remake of Ben Hur

A remake of the famous 1959 film staring Charlton Heston (who was born in Wilmette, Illinois (part of Cook County)).

The 2016 version stars English-American Jack Huston in the title role of Judah Ben-Hur.

Toby Kebbell plays his Roman brother Messala.

It was made to a budget of $100m and filmed in Matera, Southern Italy.

Copenhagen-born, Danish Pilou Asbaek played Pontius Pilate, a prefect of the Roman province of Judaea.

The Original Ben Hur

The original Ben-Hur film was based on the 1880 novel Ben-Hur by Lew Wallace, who apart from being an author, was also a general in the American Civil War.

The formerly named "Ben Hur Museum" can be visited in Crawfordsville, Indiana, built by Lew Wallace as a "detached room away from the world and its worries". Ben-Hur was a stage production, before it became a film, or rather a series of films.