Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, January 28, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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assiduous
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| Article of the Day | |
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 BaobabExceeded in trunk diameter only by sequoias, baobabs are gigantic trees native to Africa, Australia, and India. Some are reputed to be thousands of years old, but their ages are impossible to verify because the wood does not produce annual growth rings. Though wide enough to be hollowed out for dwellings, baobabs are not very tall, and are often called "bottle trees" and "upside-down trees" because of their appearance. What is "the Boab Prison Tree," and how was it once used? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice First Published (1813)Austen wrote Pride and Prejudice while living at "Steventon," her father's Hampshire vicarage where she spent the first 25 years of her life. However, the book was not published until much later—in 1813, four years before her death. Like Austen's other novels, Pride and Prejudice is a comedy of manners that depicts the self-contained world of provincial ladies and gentlemen. In 2003, the novel placed second in a BBC poll for the "UK's Best-Loved Book." What book came first? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Arthur Rubinstein (1887)Rubinstein was a Polish-American pianist whose enormous popularity spanned many decades. He debuted in 1900 and performed with moderate success until the 1930s, when he stopped performing for five years to improve his technique and reemerged as a giant of 20th-century music, active into his 80s. In the US, he was equally noted as soloist and chamber musician. His repertoire ranged from Bach to 20th-century Spanish composers, but he was particularly noted for his interpretation of what composer? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 To know, to esteem, to love, and then to part,Makes up life's tale to many a feeling heart! Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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hot tip— A piece of advice or information that is timely and helpful, especially if acted upon quickly. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Chinese New Year Day (2017)The Lunar New Year is the most important and the longest of all Chinese festivals, celebrated by Chinese communities throughout the world. The eve of the new year is the high point of the festival when family members return home to honor their ancestors and enjoy a great feast. On the first day of the new year, household doors are thrown open to let good luck enter. Dragon and lion dances are performed, and there are acrobatic demonstrations and much beating of gongs. An ancient custom is giving little red packets of money called hung-pao or lai see to children. More... | |
| In the News | |
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'Automated Dermatologist' Detects Skin Cancer with Expert AccuracyEven though the phrase "image recognition technologies" conjures visions of high-tech surveillance, these tools may soon be used in medicine more than in spycraft. A team of Stanford researchers trained a computer to identify images of skin cancer moles ... More... | |