Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, November 6, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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perfidious
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Isolation TanksIn 1954, John C. Lilly developed the isolation tank to test the effects of sensory deprivation. Such tanks are intended to completely deprive the brain of any external stimulation; they are lightless, soundproof, and filled with warm saltwater to promote flotation and reduce skin sensation. Isolation tanks are now used for meditation, relaxation, and in alternative medicine. A therapeutic session typically lasts an hour, and it is reportedly common to experience what during the first 40 minutes? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Jefferson Davis Elected President of the Confederate States of America (1861)As a US senator, Davis advocated states' rights but tried to discourage secession. Still, when Mississippi seceded, he resigned from the Senate, was appointed major general of the Mississippi militia, and soon was chosen to be president of the Confederacy. After Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered without Davis's approval in 1865, Davis fled Richmond, Virginia, the Confederate capital, hoping to continue the fight until he could secure better terms from the North. What happened to him? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 James Naismith (1861)While teaching physical education in 1891, Naismith was tasked with creating a safe and inexpensive indoor sport to occupy his students during the Massachusetts winter. His game involved throwing a soccer ball through suspended half-bushel peach baskets, hence the name "basketball"—though "Naismith Ball" was briefly considered before the inventor rejected it. The game took off on campus and quickly spread across the US and around the globe. What other sports invention is credited to Naismith? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 So, let us not be blind to our differences—but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved.John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Gustavus Adolphus Day (2017)Gustavus Adolphus (1594-1632) was the king of Sweden (1611-32) who laid the foundations of the modern Swedish state and turned the country into a major European power. He was killed during the Thirty Years' War while leading a cavalry charge at the Battle of Lützen on November 6, 1632. The anniversary of his death is observed throughout Sweden with patriotic demonstrations—particularly in Skansen, Stockholm's outdoor museum. Enormous bonfires are built on Reindeer Mountain and processions of students carry lighted torches through the museum grounds. More... | |