Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, July 06, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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exiguity
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Buddhas of BamyanOnce the largest examples of standing Buddha carvings in the world, the Buddhas of Bamyan were two monumental statues carved into the side of a cliff in Afghanistan's Bamyan Valley. Built during the 6th century, the statues were destroyed in 2001 by the Islamist Taliban government, which decreed that the figures were idolatrous and bombarded them with dynamite and tank barrages for nearly a month. The Afghan government has since proposed that the statues be recreated using what technologies? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Louis Pasteur Successfully Tests His Rabies Vaccine (1885)Pasteur was a pioneer in the field of germ theory. In 1881, the inventor of pasteurization perfected a way to isolate and weaken germs, and he went on to develop a vaccine against anthrax in sheep. He soon turned his attention to researching rabies. In 1885, he inoculated a 9-year-old boy who had been badly mauled by a rabid dog. The vaccine likely prevented the boy from contracting rabies, which then meant certain death. How did Pasteur's chickens accidentally get vaccinated against cholera? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Merv Griffin (1925)Originally a singer and nightclub performer, Griffin first achieved wider fame in the early 1950s with the hit song I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts. He then shifted his focus to television, hosting The Merv Griffin Show from 1965 to 1986. He created the popular game shows Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! and wrote the latter's famous theme song. Later, he invested in casinos, resorts, and hotels. What humorous epitaph was inscribed on his gravestone? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The first duty of a lecturer—to hand you after an hour's discourse a nugget of pure truth to wrap up between the pages of your notebooks, and keep on the mantelpiece forever.Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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does (exactly) what it says on the tin— (Something) does precisely what it claims or is supposed to do. Primarily heard in UK, Ireland. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Gettysburg Civil War Heritage Days (2017)The Battle of Gettysburg on July 1–3, 1863, marked a turning point in the American Civil War. The battle did not end the war, but the Confederate army was turned back, and it never recovered from its losses. With 51,000 casualties and 5,000 dead horses, it ranks as the bloodiest battle in American history. Every year since 1983 the anniversary of the battle has been commemorated at the Gettysburg National Military Park. There are band concerts, a Civil War battle reenactment, lectures by nationally known historians, and a Civil War collectors' show. More... | |
| In the News | |
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That Time a City Scared Itself Silly over a Total Solar EclipseIn October 1976, a total solar eclipse engulfed southern Australia and the city of Melbourne in darkness. Roving eclipse seekers and local astronomy fans welcomed the shadow. Robin Hirst, an astronomy lecturer at the University of Melbourne's State ... More... | |