Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, August 8, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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protuberant
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| Article of the Day | |
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.jpg) The Montgolfier BrothersAfter discovering that heated air in a lightweight bag would cause the bag to rise, French brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier invented a contraption that would come to be known as the hot-air balloon. In 1783, they held the first public demonstration of their invention and, just months later, the first manned free flight. Before humans were sent up in the balloon, a test flight was made using three animals: a sheep, a duck, and a rooster. Why were these animals chosen? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Great Train Robbery (1963)On the night of August 7, 1963, a postal train left Glasgow with a High Value Package (HVP) coach containing registered mail and a large sum of money. Before dawn the next morning, the driver sighted a red signal and, not knowing that the light had been tampered with, brought the train to a halt as was protocol. Fifteen robbers descended on the train, attacking the train's operators, restraining the postal workers in the HVP coach, and making off with £2.6 million. Were the robbers ever caught? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Matthew Alexander Henson (1866)Orphaned in his youth, Henson went to work on a merchant ship at the age of 12. After nearly a decade at sea, he met American explorer Robert E. Peary and became his valet and assistant for the next 22 years. In 1909, Henson accompanied Peary on the first expedition credited with reaching the North Pole. Though Peary received many honors for this achievement, Henson, an African American, was largely ignored. What did both men leave behind when they returned to mainland America from the Arctic? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The world is a looking-glass, and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face. Frown at it, and it will in turn look sourly upon you; laugh at it and with it, and it is a jolly kind companion; and so let all young persons take their choice.William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Old Fiddler's Convention (2018)A five-day concert in the small town of Galax, Virginia, the Old Fiddler's Convention spotlights old-time music in an outdoor setting. The convention was organized in 1935 as a fundraising event by members of Moose Lodge No. 733 and was dedicated to "keeping alive the memories and sentiments of days gone by." About 25,000 people now attend. Hundreds of contestants take part, competing for cash prizes and trophies in categories that include guitar, mandolin, dulcimer, dobro, clawhammer and bluegrass banjo, clog or flatfoot dancing, and folk singing. More... | |