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DEFINITION: (noun) Miscellaneous items or written works collected together. SYNONYMS: assortment, miscellany, mixed bag, motley, potpourri, salmagundi, smorgasbord, variety, mixture. USAGE: The office was littered with papers, files, and assorted miscellanea.

Augustus Caesar was the first Emperor of Rome. Known as Octavian for the period of his life prior to 27 BCE, he came to power after defeating Mark Antony and Cleopatra. He ended a century of civil wars and gave Rome an era of peace, prosperity, and imperial greatness. Although he preserved the outward form of the Roman Republic, he ruled with extraordinary powers for more than 40 years and filled the Senate with sympathizers who named him "Augustus." What was the significance of this title?

The Battle of Marathon was an important turning point for the two dominant powers of the ancient world: Greece and Persia. The Persians had been expanding their influence into the Mediterranean and wanted to conquer Greece. In response, the divided city-states of Greece launched a desperate defense and won an improbable victory at Marathon, leading to the partial containment of Persian power. Who was Pheidippides, and how far did he run during the Battle of Marathon?

A study by Swedish researchers has found that eating fatty fish like salmon, herring, sardines and mackerel could help protect against kidney cancer, cutting the risk by as much as 74%. Lean fish like cod and tuna, and seafood like shrimp and lobster do not offer these benefits, possibly because fatty fish has 30 times more fatty acids and five times more vitamin D.

Rand was a 20th century writer whose romantic and dramatic novels espouse "objectivism," a philosophy of rational self-interest that opposes the collective of the modern welfare state. Her best-known works include The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. What was her real name, and what inspired her to adopt "Ayn Rand" as a pen name?