Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, December 7, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Article of the Day | |
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 HashshashinThe historical referents of the term "assassin," the Hashshashin were a secret society of Ismaili Shia Muslims who specialized in politically motivated killings of Crusaders and Muslim rulers. Much of the lore surrounding the feared sect, which originated in Persia and was active from 1090 to 1272, stems from Marco Polo's likely fictional account of his visit to the city of Alamut in 1273. What drug is believed to be the root of the term "Hashshashin," and what was its connection to the sect? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Mary Toft Admits That She Did Not Really Give Birth to Rabbits (1726)Toft, an English servant, had a bizarre 15 minutes of fame in 1726 when she convinced doctors that she had given birth to a litter of rabbits. At age 25, Toft suffered a miscarriage. About a month later, she appeared to go into labor and proceeded over the next few weeks to "birth" several animal parts along with nine baby bunnies. The episode was attributed to a fascination with rabbits that Toft had developed during her pregnancy—until it was revealed to be a hoax. How had she pulled it off? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Gerard Peter Kuiper (1905)The "father of modern planetary science," Dutch-American astronomer Gerard Kuiper made many discoveries about the solar system, among them the presence of a methane atmosphere around Saturn's satellite Titan and a carbon dioxide-rich one on Mars and the existence of Uranus's satellite Miranda and Neptune's satellite Nereid. He also proposed the existence of a disk-shaped region of minor planets and comets—now called the Kuiper belt—outside Neptune's orbit. What did he help identify on the Moon? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Compromise used to mean that half a loaf was better than no bread. Among modern statesmen it really seems to mean that half a loaf is better than a whole loaf.Gilbert Chesterton (1874-1936) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Timor-Leste National Heroes Day (Anniversary of the Indonesian Invasion) (2018)In Timor Leste, the invasion of Indonesian forces on December 7, 1975, initiated a period of occupation in which about 200,000 Timorese were killed. Today, this anniversary remains an occasion to mourn those who were killed and to seek redress for crimes committed during the occupation. Beginning in 1976, the Timorese established a tradition of gathering in the capital, Dili, to commemorate the anniversary of the invasion and stage a public protest over Indonesia's actions. Candlelight vigils and commemorative church services also became common throughout the country. More... | |