Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, December 12, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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frowsty
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| Article of the Day | |
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 ThuggeeThuggee was a historic form of organized crime that existed in India for centuries before its extinction in the mid-1800s. Because early travel was so dangerous, travelers typically undertook long-distance journeys in groups for protection. In India, members of a highly organized professional fraternity of robbers would pose as innocent wayfarers in order to join a group of travelers, only to strangle and rob the entire group at night. Through what means did Thuggee society acquire new members? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Battle of Nineveh (627 CE)The Battle of Nineveh was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Sassanid Dynasty, the last dynasty of native rulers to reign in Persia. Heraclius, the Byzantine emperor, was able to draw his Persian adversaries onto a favorable battlefield by feigning a retreat, thereby securing victory for his troops. The loss seriously damaged the Sassanids' power. Within decades, the weakened Sassanid dynasty would be toppled by the Arab Conquest. What fate did the Sassanid king suffer after Nineveh? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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.jpg) John Jay (1745)Though Jay initially deplored the growing conflict between Britain and its American colonies, he became a staunch supporter of the revolution once it began. He was heavily involved in early US government and urged ratification of the Constitution. He served as the first chief justice of the Supreme Court, among other posts. Today considered one of the "Founding Fathers," Jay once joked that he could travel from Boston to Philadelphia by the light of his burning effigies after he had done what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Why are women...so much more interesting to men than men are to women?Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe (2020)Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe is the patron saint of Mexico, and on December 12 thousands of pilgrims flock to her shrine at the famous Church of Guadalupe outside Mexico City. On the evening of December 11, crowds have already gathered for singing and special ceremonies at midnight, which are carried on national television. This great religious festival commemorates the appearance of the Virgin Mary on Tepeyac Hill, north of present-day Mexico City. The story is reenacted in a puppet show each year, and relics of Our Lady of Guadalupe are sold in the streets. More... | |