Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, October 28, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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camion
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Dry QuicksandConsidered a mythic substance until recently, dry quicksand is loose sand that behaves like ordinary quicksand but contains no water and operates in a different manner. Though accounts of whole caravans being swallowed up by the substance have been discounted as folklore, researchers have demonstrated that aerating fine sand reduces its bulk density and creates a dry quicksand that could envelop an entire vehicle. How did fear of dry quicksand affect the planning of the Apollo moon missions? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Harvard College Is Founded (1636)Founded with a grant from the General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Harvard College was named for its first benefactor, John Harvard. He bequeathed his books and about £780 to the fledgling college. The oldest and one of the most prestigious institutions of higher education in the US, Harvard originally trained Puritan ministers. Today, it has the largest university endowment in the US, estimated at more than $25 billion in 2009. Why did Harvard athletes first adopt the color red? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Auguste Escoffier (1846)Escoffier was a legendary French chef credited with inventing peach Melba and other classic dishes. He began his career in his uncle's kitchen, and by the time he retired some 60 years later, he had directed the kitchens of several grand European hotels and earned himself a reputation as the "Emperor of Chefs." In 1903, he published Le Guide Culinaire, which contains 5,000 recipes and is still used today as both a cookbook and cooking textbook. How did peach Melba get its name? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Affection is the broadest basis of good in life.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Ochi Day (2018)Ochi Day is a national holiday in Greece, commemorating the day during World War II when Greeks said "ochi" ("no") to an attempted incursion ordered by Italy's fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini. On October 28, 1940, the Italian ambassador to Greece called on Gen. Ioannis Metaxas, the prime minister, to demand that Italian troops be allowed to occupy areas in Greece. Metaxas curtly responded, "Ochi." The Italians invaded, but were routed by the Greeks. Ochi Day is observed in Greece with military and school parades; it is also a public holiday celebrated in Cyprus with parades. More... | |