John Heisman (1869) Memorialized after his death by the trophy that bears his name, Heisman was an American collegiate football coach and one of the game’s greatest innovators. He was responsible for legalizing the forward pass in 1906, and he […]

Brains do not make one happy, and happiness is the best thing in the world. L. Frank Baum (1856-1919)  

perturb Definition: (verb) Disturb in mind or make uneasy or cause to be worried or alarmed. Synonyms: cark, disorder, disquiet, unhinge, distract, trouble Usage: She was rather perturbed by the news that her father was seriously ill. Discuss.  

Sarah Bernhardt (1844) The illegitimate child of a courtesan, Bernhardt was encouraged to pursue a theatrical career by one of her mother’s lovers. Her acting teachers did not consider her a particularly promising student, but they turned out to be […]

There is, one knows not what sweet mystery about this sea, whose gently awful stirrings seem to speak of some hidden soul beneath. Herman Melville (1819-1891)  

preceptor Definition: (noun) Teacher at a university or college (especially at Cambridge or Oxford). Synonyms: don Usage: Dessalles, the tutor he had brought from Switzerland, was wearing a coat of Russian cut and talking broken Russian to the servants, but […]

Carlo Urbani (1956) In February 2003, Urbani, an Italian physician employed by the World Health Organization (WHO), was called to examine a man hospitalized in Hanoi, Vietnam, with what was initially thought to be the flu or pneumonia. Recognizing that […]

There was no use in trying to emancipate a wife who had not the dimmest notion that she was not free. Edith Wharton (1862-1937)  

disassociate Definition: (verb) Part; cease or break association with. Synonyms: disjoint, disunite, divorce Usage: She disassociated herself from the organization when she found out that the president had misappropriated funds. Discuss.  

Pierre Trudeau (1919) As prime minister of Canada from 1968–79 and 1980–84, Trudeau advocated a strong federal government and took a determined stand against the Quebec separatist movement. Despite his opposition to Quebec’s independence, he supported Canadian sovereignty and secured […]

It is the same with man as with the tree … The more he seeketh to rise into the height and light, the more vigorously do his roots struggle earthward, downward, into the dark and deep—into the evil. Friedrich Nietzsche […]

do-gooder Definition: (noun) Someone devoted to the promotion of human welfare and to social reforms. Synonyms: humanitarian, improver Usage: A do-gooder to the core, she spends all of her free time and nearly all of her money helping the homeless. […]

Mae Carol Jemison (1956) Born in America at a time when being black and female were considered distinct disadvantages, particularly in the scientific community, Jemison nevertheless had big dreams and intense drive. She studied medicine and was a practicing physician […]

Curiosity is natural to the soul of man, and interesting objects have a powerful influence on our affections. John Filson (1747-1788)  

dropsy Definition: (noun) Swelling from excessive accumulation of watery fluid in cells, tissues, or serous cavities. Synonyms: edema, hydrops Usage: I must tell you that this thickness and roundness of the waist is caused by a dropsy brought on by […]