Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, June 11, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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blithe
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Robben IslandRobben Island is a mile-wide island off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. Stone-age people lived there thousands of years ago when sea levels were lower and the area was easily accessible. Starting in the late 17th century, the island was used to isolate lepers and, later, political prisoners such as Nelson Mandela, who was held there from 1964 to 1982. In the 1600s, a ship laden with millions of dollars worth of gold sank off the island's coast. Why has no one recovered the treasure? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Battle of Jargeau Begins (1429)After helping break the English siege of Orléans during the Hundred Years' War, teenage heroine Joan of Arc set her sights on recapturing the Loire River valley, beginning with the town of Jargeau. Though the post was heavily fortified and well defended, the French soon gained the upper hand. After Jargeau, a number of other English strongholds fell in quick succession, paving the way for Charles VII's coronation at Rheims. What nearly killed Joan as she scaled a ladder during the battle? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Joseph Warren (1741)A Boston physician, Warren became a political leader in the American Revolution after the passage of the hated 1765 Stamp Act. In 1774, he drafted the Suffolk Resolves, which advocated forcible resistance to the British and were endorsed by the Continental Congress. In April of the following year, he dispatched William Dawes and Paul Revere to warn fellow patriots that the British were marching on Concord. He was killed months later at Bunker Hill. Why was his body buried four times? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I hope that posterity will judge me kindly, not only as to the things which I have explained, but also to those which I have intentionally omitted so as to leave to others the pleasure of discovery.Rene Descartes (1596-1650) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have (something) going for (one)— To have something that is favorable, beneficial, or advantageous to one. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Trinity Sunday (2017)Trinity Sunday is a day that celebrates the central dogma of Christian theology: that the One God exists as three persons with one substance—as the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The idea of a festival in honor of the Trinity was first introduced by Stephen, bishop of Liège, Belgium, in the 10th century. But it wasn't until 1334 that it became a universal observance decreed by Pope John XXII. The day after Trinity is sometimes referred to as Trinity Monday. Tradition has it that St. Patrick of Ireland used a shamrock as a symbol of the "three-in-one," triune God. More... | |
| In the News | |
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Could This New Technology Put a Stop to Drunk Driving?The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently unveiled new advanced alcohol detection technology that could prevent drunk drivers from operating a vehicle. At a press conference in Washington this past week, NHTSA Administrator ... More... | |