Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, June 22, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
aguacate
| |||||||
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 PorcelainPorcelain is a white, hard, nonporous pottery which is resonant when struck. It was first made by the Chinese to withstand the great heat generated in certain parts of their kilns. The two natural substances used were kaolin and a feldspar mineral called petuntse that forms a glassy cement. In Europe porcelain was first commercially produced in the early 1700s. Most of the European porcelain is soft paste and is not as strong as the Chinese hard-paste porcelain. What is bone china? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Kodak Announces Discontinuation of Kodachrome Film (2009)Manufactured by Kodak from 1935 to 2009, Kodachrome was the first commercially successful color film and was used to capture some of the most iconic images of the late 20th century. The film was known for its stability—if stored properly, it could be developed decades after being exposed and would retain its color and density for decades. Yet, advances in digital photography and the development of competing films considerably reduced demand. What famous images were recorded on Kodachrome? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 John Herbert Dillinger, Jr. (1903)Raised in Indiana by a widowed father, Dillinger served a prison term for attempted robbery, then organized a gang and terrorized the Midwest in 1933. He became one of the most notorious criminals in the US. The infamous bank robber escaped jail twice, was involved in 16 killings, and was declared "public enemy number one" before being killed on a Chicago street by FBI agents at the age of 31. He was so well-known that at the scene of his death, bystanders collected what macabre souvenirs? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 I didn't want to work. It was as simple as that. I distrusted work, disliked it. I thought it was a very bad thing that the human race had unfortunately invented for itself.Agatha Christie (1890-1976) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
at a (single) stroke— All at once, with a single decisive or powerful action. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Lajkonik (2017)The most popular folk festival in Kraków, Poland, Lajkonik is believed to commemorate the horseman who carried the news of the Tartar defeat during the 13th-century Tartar invasions. A bearded horseman in oriental costume riding a richly draped wooden hobby-horse—the Lajkonik—collects money from the crowds lining the streets, tapping each donor with his rod to bring them good luck. Eventually he ends up in the market square, where he dances for the assembled dignitaries and receives from them a sack of money and a glass of wine, which he consumes after toasting the well-being of the city. More... | |
| In the News | |
|---|---|
Sleep or Die -- Growing Body of Research Warns of Heart Attacks, StrokesWe have all experienced the aftermath of a bad night's sleep: grogginess, irritability, difficulty carrying out even the simplest of tasks. A growing amount of research suggests that not getting enough shut-eye could also have insidious effects on heart ... More... | |