The 900 year old nun
The 900 year old nun Since 1987, the U.S. government has recognized March as Women’s History Month. In the decades since, ever more countries have made Women’s History Month a part of their societies. In Germany, Berlin has observed International Women’s Day – March 8 – as an official holiday since 2019. During this time of celebrating women’s accomplishments, we wanted […]
Fancy dress and jelly doughnuts
Fancy dress and jelly doughnuts Why the birds sing In certain regions and cities in Germany, Carnival (Karneval, Fasching, or Fastnacht) is a much-anticipated time of year, but it’s not as well-known in many English-speaking countries. Here, you can learn a little about the celebration’s history as well some interesting and important things to know when talking about it […]
The witch and the red envelopes
The witch and the red envelopes Many of us have just finished a season of gifts, a time when we offered and received things meant as small symbols of our care for others or theirs for us. Though presents are a part of all human societies, every culture gives them in their own special ways. Below we take […]
The History of Blackbeard the Pirate
Blackbeard: The world’s most famous pirate In this month’s Learning Nugget, get to know the story of that notorious outlaw of the high seas and learn how an argument about his most famous ship went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court just last year. On November 17, 1718, the dreaded pirate Blackbeard met his end near Ocracoke […]
Learning Nugget October 2021
Money doesn’t grow on trees, but in 2021, trees are money Lumber used in construction, toilet paper, printing paper – you may have noticed that they’re currently all more expensive than you’re used to. This is because wood prices have gone way up in 2021. During the summer, they rose over 80% compared to the […]
Learning Nugget September 2021
A true pub quiz: Beer Munich’s Oktoberfest and the many smaller Oktoberfest celebrations that happen across Germany won’t take place in 2021, but there are sure to be plenty of people wishing the festivities could go on. Though there won’t be any large public parties, we wanted to pay an homage to the world-famous German festival. So, below we pose questions related to beer and […]
Learning Nugget July 2021
What’s not to like about Likes? The ability to Like something online hasn’t been around much more than a decade, but during that time it’s become an everyday aspect of many people’s lives. We Like photos of friends and family, YouTube videos, news articles, and plenty more. What’s interesting is that every time we do that, we’re participating in a system […]
Learning Nugget June 2021
Birder brained Most people are aware that birding – an activity where a person or group observes and identifies birds out of scientific and/or personal interest – is a hobby for some. Maybe you even own a pair of binoculars and a bird identification book yourself. But many don’t know exactly how big the hobby […]
Learning Nugget May 2021
The weird world of U.S. healthcare There are a lot of reasons the U.S. stands out in the world, like its giant economy or the wide popularity of its music, films, and television. One other way the U.S. is different from other high-income countries (most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, etc.) is how its healthcare system works. In the […]
Learning Nugget April 2021
Canals you haven’t heard about lately If you pay any attention to the news, you likely heard something about the big problem in the Suez Canal a few weeks ago. The Taiwanese ship the Ever Given ran aground and blocked the canal for six days. The reason this was so important is that the Suez Canal is by far […]