Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, December 8, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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strapper
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| Article of the Day | |
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 AmbigramsAmbigrams, or inversions, are graphical figures that spell a single word in multiple directions or orientations. There are a number of categories, including rotational ambigrams, which present several instances of a word when rotated through a fixed angle, and mirror ambigrams, which can be read when reflected in a mirror. The word “suns” is a natural ambigram, meaning it has some form of symmetry in its natural state. What novel, published by bestselling author Dan Brown, features ambigrams? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 SpaceX Launches and Returns a Spacecraft from Orbit (2010)In 2002, PayPal cofounder Elon Musk established the space transportation company SpaceX. In 2010, SpaceX became the first private company to place a spacecraft into orbit and successfully recover it. The craft, called Dragon, was launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral. In 2012, Dragon became the first commercial spacecraft to successfully rendezvous with and be attached to the International Space Station (ISS). When did Dragon begin regular cargo flights to the ISS? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 James Thurber (1894)After working at various newspapers, Thurber served on the staff of The New Yorker from 1927 to 1933 and was later a principal contributor to the magazine, publishing drawings, stories, and anecdotes of his misadventures. He is especially known for his short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty." In 1940, his failing eyesight forced him to curtail his drawing, and by 1952 he had to give it up altogether as his blindness had become nearly total. What is said to be Thurber's last drawing? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Happiness is a monstrosity! Punished are those who seek it.Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have (one's) heart in (something)— To be emotionally and enthusiastically involved in something; to do or undertake something with passion and zeal. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Uzbekistan Constitution Day (2016)On December 8, 1992, the new constitution of Uzbekistan was signed, creating a democratic system of government for the newly-independent country. Uzbekistan was created in 1924 by the communist government of the Soviet Union and became an independent nation in 1991. On Constitution Day, the country's president usually broadcasts a message of greeting to the Uzbekistan people, in which he reiterates the democratic ideals of the constitution and outlines what steps the government has taken to ensure that those ideals are carried out. More... | |
| In the News | |
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Bye, Bye, BananasIn the mid 1900s, the most popular banana in the world—a sweet, creamy variety called Gros Michel grown in Latin America—all but disappeared from the planet. At the time, it was the only banana in the world that could be exported. But a fungus, known ... More... | |