Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, November 19, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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berate
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| Article of the Day | |
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 HerbariaA herbarium is a collection of dried and mounted plant specimens. Whole plants collected from the field are spread flat and dried, usually between absorbent sheets in a plant press. They are then mounted on stiff white paper and carefully labeled. Specimens are often poisoned as a precaution against insect attacks. Herbaria are said to be the "dictionaries" of the plant kingdom, containing the reference specimens essential to the proper naming of unknown plants. How are specimens organized? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Operation Uranus Begins (1942)In the summer of 1941, a wave of German forces swept into the Soviet Union and proceeded to conquer a vast amount of territory. Stopped at Stalingrad, the Germans became mired in one of the most significant battles of WWII and were ill-prepared for the deteriorating Soviet weather. The enormous Soviet counteroffensive, code-named Operation Uranus, overwhelmed them. Within days, their entire force at Stalingrad was encircled. What nearly delayed the artillery bombardment that began the offensive? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov (1711)With an extraordinarily broad education, Lomonosov became a prominent figure of 18th-century Russia in many capacities. He was a poet, a language reformer, a chemistry professor, and founder of Moscow State University. He created the first colored-glass mosaics in Russia. He designed a telescope and hypothesized the presence of an atmosphere on Venus. He cataloged more than 3,000 minerals and explained the origin of icebergs. His experiments in physics contradicted what commonly accepted theory? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Thou know'st the o'er-eager vehemence of youth,How quick in temper, and in judgment weak. Homer (900 BC-800 BC) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Equal Opportunity Day (2020)At the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery in southern Pennsylvania on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. This 270-word speech is considered one of the greatest in American history. Equal Opportunity Day is observed at Gettysburg National Cemetery each year, where ceremonies commemorating Lincoln's address are held under the sponsorship of the Sons of Union Veterans and the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania. Sometimes this day is referred to as Gettysburg Address Day. More... | |