Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, August 18, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
gullible
| |||||||
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 William James Sidis: Child ProdigySidis was an American child prodigy who could read The New York Times by the time he was 18 months old. By age eight, he had taught himself eight languages and had invented one of his own. It is said that in his adult years he could speak more than 40 languages and learn a new one in a single day. In 1909, he became the youngest person ever to enroll at Harvard College and began lecturing on higher mathematics the following year. What became of Sidis after he graduated in 1914, at age 16? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Genghis Khan Dies (1227)Though infamous for slaughtering entire cities and destroying fields and irrigation systems, Genghis Khan is admired for his military brilliance. The emperor-warrior consolidated nomadic tribes into a unified Mongolia and led them to conquer much of Asia from the Pacific coast to Eastern Europe. He died on a military campaign in China, and the empire was divided. The circumstances of his death are unclear. According to legend, how did his descendants ensure that his grave would remain hidden? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Antonio Salieri (1750)Italian composer and conductor Antonio Salieri moved to Vienna, Austria, in 1766 with his music teacher, imperial court composer Florian Gassmann. When Gassmann died, Salieri took his position and went on to become Vienna's most popular opera composer for the remainder of the 18th century. Beethoven, Schubert, and Liszt were among his most famous students. Though Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart were rivals, the story that he poisoned Mozart is likely untrue. How did their rivalry begin? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 From reading too much, and sleeping too little, his brain dried up on him and he lost his judgment.Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
not know (someone) from a bar of soap— To be completely unaware of or know nothing about someone; to have never met the person indicated. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Chief Seattle Days (2017)This three-day inter-tribal festival honors Chief Seattle (1786-1866), for whom Seattle, Washington, is named. He was head of the Suquamish and Duwamish Indian tribes in the Puget Sound area of Washington. Besides featuring traditional Indian dances and drumming and dancing contests, the festival has a distinctive northwestern flavor, with salmon and clam bakes and canoe races. Other highlights are a horseshoe tournament, storytelling, and the election of a Chief Seattle Days Queen. The festival closes with the blessing of Chief Seattle's grave. More... | |
| In the News | |
|---|---|
Scientists Discover 91 Unknown Volcanoes Beneath Ice Sheet in AntarcticaScientists have identified 91 volcanoes beneath an ice sheet covering Antarctica's west coast, a study shows. The volcanoes covered in ice stand nearly 3 miles along West Antarctica, possibly making the region denser than east Africa where Mount ... More... | |