Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, September 06, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
snuggery
| |||||||
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Silly PuttyWhen scientists tried to find a rubber substitute for the US during WWII, they stumbled upon a product that would entertain children for generations. Silly Putty is silicone plastic “clay” sold in an egg-shaped plastic container and marketed as a children's toy. As an inorganic polymer, it can pick up ink when pressed against a newspaper; the imprint can then be stretched in any direction. It also bounces, breaks, and “melts” into a puddle. What causes these unusual flow characteristics? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Leningrad's Name Reverts to Saint Petersburg (1991)Russia's second largest city, Saint Petersburg is a major seaport, rail junction, and industrial, cultural, and scientific center. The city was built in 1703 by Peter the Great, who sought an outlet to the sea and a port for trade through the Baltic. It was the capital of the Russian Empire from 1712 to 1917. Named "Leningrad" in 1924, the city reverted to its original name, Saint Petersburg, in 1991. What had the city been called between 1914 and 1924? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Jane Addams (1860)In 1889, with Ellen Gates Starr, Addams founded Hull House in Chicago, one of the first social settlements in the US. Based on the settlements begun in England by Samuel Barnett, Hull House served as a community center for the poor and as a center for social reform, and influenced the settlement movement throughout the country. A joint recipient of the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize, Addams was a leader in the women's suffrage and pacifist movements and a lecturer and writer. What are some of her books? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 There are some cases in which the sense of injury breeds—not the will to inflict injuries and climb over them as a ladder, but—a hatred of all injury.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
handbags at dawn— A confrontation or disagreement that is highly aggressive, emotionally expressive, and/or highly dramatic, but which does not end or result in violence. Used originally and primarily in reference to football (soccer) players, who would be sent off if they engaged in violent actions, the phrase is a play on the clichéd "pistols at dawn," indicating a forthcoming pistol duel. Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Swaziland Independence Day (2016)Independence Day is a national holiday in Swaziland. On this day in 1968, Swaziland became self-governing after having been ruled by Britain since 1903. This national holiday was also known as Somhlolo Day or Sobhuza Day, named after Sobhuza II (1899-1982), king of Swaziland from 1921 until his death. In 1973, he disregarded the constitution passed upon independence and assumed supreme power. More... | |
| In the News | |
|---|---|
The Number of Trees on Earth May Surprise YouHow many trees are there on Earth? It's the ultimate estimation game, but a group of Yale researchers believe they have arrived at the most precise answer yet. There are 3.04 trillion trees on Earth -- nearly eight times as many as was previously ... More... | |