Losers Who Shaped The World
He lost the 1860 U.S. presidential election and later became president of the Confederacy - but his legacy still shapes conversations about secession and civil rights.
Who was Jefferson Davis
This element, used in nuclear reactors for its ability to undergo fission, has an atomic number of 92 and was first discovered in 1938 by Otto Hahn.
What is Uranium
This avant-garde composer, known for his minimalist work and use of prepared pianos, released The Tortoise, the Hare, and the Gardener in 1964. The lyrics in his compositions were often abstract or non-verbal.
Who is John Cage
This 1959 film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, featuring James Stewart as a photographer who believes he has witnessed a murder, is known for its meticulous use of framing and suspense.
What is Rear Window
This European country is home to the world’s longest-running democracy, having had continuous elections since 1289, and it is known for its neutrality in international conflicts.
What is Lichtenstein
This French military leader was exiled twice after losing at Waterloo, but his tactics are still studied at military academies around the world.
Who was Napoleon Bonaparte
This law of thermodynamics states that the total entropy of an isolated system can never decrease over time, and is often associated with the concept of disorder.
What is the second law of thermodynamics
This 1990 track by David Bowie from the album Outside features the lyrics, "I am the self-impressed, I am the one." It’s a song that explores themes of identity and self-doubt in a dystopian setting.
What is "The Heart's Filthy Lesson"
In this 1996 film by the Coen Brothers, a botched kidnapping leads to a series of violent and surreal events in the Midwest. The film was awarded the Best Picture Oscar.
What is Fargo
In 2006, this city became the first to adopt an official "right to city" ordinance, allowing citizens to challenge decisions regarding urban planning and development. It was a groundbreaking moment in modern urban governance.
What is Barcelona
Although her army was defeated and she was captured and executed, this teenage peasant girl's visions helped turned the tide in the Hundred Years' War.
Who was Joan of Arc
This phenomenon, first demonstrated by Albert Einstein in 1905, describes how light can behave like both a wave and a particle, leading to the concept of the photon.
What is the photoelectric effect
This band’s 2002 song “The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!” includes surreal and cryptic lyrics like “I am a vessel, I am the one who’s broken.”
Who is The First Theft
This 1992 film by Ridley Scott, starring Tom Cruise and a host of fantastical characters, is known for its visually stunning sets and costumes, often described as a "dark fairy tale" in a dreamlike world.
What is Legend
This element is the rarest naturally occurring element on Earth, with only minute traces found in nature. It is primarily produced synthetically and is used in advanced electronics and nuclear reactors.
What is Astatine
Though he failed to unify all Germanic tribes and was defeated by Rome, this chieftain's rebellion foreshadowed the eventual collapse of the Western Roman Empire.
Who was Arminius (Hermann the Cheruscan)
Named after a British scientist, this paradox involves an electron behaving as if it occupies multiple positions at once, only "collapsing" into a single location when observed.
What is the Schrödinger's cat paradox
The 1973 song “The Low Spark of High Heeled Boys” by this English rock band features a complex blend of jazz, funk, and progressive rock, with the famous lyric, “If you’ve got a wimp, you’ve got a laugh.”
Who is Traffic
In this 1980 film directed by Roman Polanski, the lead character, a New York architect, experiences a strange and disturbing series of events after a visit to a strange apartment in the city, which turns out to have connections to occult practices.
What is The Ninth Gate
This unusual neurological condition causes individuals to experience the sensation of feeling as though their limbs are no longer part of their body. The condition is often the result of brain injuries or stroke.
What is Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID)
A vocal opponent of apartheid, this South African activist was killed in detention in 1977. His concept of "Black Consciousness" influenced the rise of the anti-apartheid movement.
Who was Steve Biko
This theoretical substance, believed to make up about 85% of the universe’s mass, cannot be directly observed but is inferred by its gravitational effects on visible matter.
What is dark matter
The lyrics “I was a boy, I was a girl, I was a tree, I was the rock” come from a 1980 album Remain in Light, which includes influences from African rhythms and funk. The song's complex, shifting time signatures are a hallmark of the band's sound.
Who is The Talking Heads
In this 1995 film, this actor's notorious clip of reloading a magazine into a semi-automatic pistol, is now often used in military training exercises as an example of precision and readiness under pressure.
Who is Val Kilmer in Heat
This extinct language, once spoken by an ancient civilization located in what is now modern-day Turkey, remains undeciphered despite extensive efforts by linguists. The civilization's script is known for its unique and enigmatic symbols, which have puzzled scholars for over a century.
What is the Luwian language