Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, January 31, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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shoestring
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| Article of the Day | |
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 TessellationsTessellations are patterns of carefully juxtaposed, non-overlapping shapes—like the multicolored tiles of a mosaic—that fill a given surface. They have been used throughout history, from ancient architecture to modern art, and are frequently found in the works of M.C. Escher. Regular tessellations, which are highly symmetrical and made up of congruent, regular polygons, can only be formed using equilateral triangles, squares, or hexagons. Where can tessellations be observed in the natural world? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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_in_dynamics_test_chamber.jpg) United States Launches Explorer I (1958)Explorer I was the first American satellite. It was launched four months after the first artificial satellite, Sputnik I, was put into orbit by the Soviet Union, beginning the so-called space race. Although it carried a number of instruments, Explorer I was relatively small, weighing just 30 lbs (13 kg). It stopped transmission of data later in 1958, when its batteries died, but remained in orbit for more than 12 years. Where did it make its fiery reentry? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (1919)Robinson, a vocal member of the Civil Rights movement, was the first African-American baseball player in the modern major leagues and the first African American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1949, he led the National League in both stolen bases and batting average and was named its most valuable player. In recognition of his accomplishments both on and off the field, Major League Baseball retired Robinson's number in 1997. How many times did he "steal home" during his career? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 They say that none of us exists, except in the imagination of his fellows, other than as an intangible, invisible mentality.Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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house poor— Having the majority of one's income going towards the high costs of one's home, such as mortgage or rent, property tax, utilities, etc., leaving very little money remaining for other expenditures. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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30Jan1973.jpg) Up-Helly-Aa (2017)This ancient fire festival is observed by people of Lerwick in the Shetland Islands. In pre-Christian times, their Norse ancestors welcomed the return of the sun god with Yule, a 24-day period of feasting, storytelling, and bonfires. The last night of the festival was called Up-Helly-Aa, or "End of the Holy Days." Today, a group known as the Guizers builds a 31-foot model of a Viking longship in honor of the Viking invaders who remained in Scotland. On the night of Up-Helly-Aa, the Guizers dress in Norse costumes and carry the boat to an open field. There, they throw lit torches into the ship and burn it. More... | |
| In the News | |
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"Alien-Looking" Insect Found Trapped in AmberThe 100-million-year-old remains of an alien-looking female insect — complete with a triangular head and bulging eyes — have been discovered encased in a glob of hardened resin called amber.. The tiny creature, now called Aethiocarenus burmanicus, did ... More... | |