Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, December 15, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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facetious
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| Article of the Day | |
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 War ElephantsElephants were first used in military campaigns in India around 1100 BCE. At the 331 BCE Battle of Gaugamela, Alexander the Great's forces faced 15 war elephants. Recognizing the large pachyderms' military value, Alexander began employing them in his own campaigns. The elephants' thick hides made them extremely difficult to kill or neutralize, and they easily trampled opposing forces as they charged through enemy lines. How did the Megarians use pigs to combat war elephants? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Jens Olsen's World Clock Is Started by Danish King Frederick IX (1955)Originally a skilled locksmith, Jens Olsen learned the trade of clock-making and, in the 1920s, designed an exceedingly intricate astronomical clock made of more than 14,000 parts. Today displayed in Copenhagen City Hall, the clock shows not only the time and date but also lunar and solar eclipses and the positions of stars and planets. The complex clock took over a decade to assemble, and Olsen died before his masterpiece was finally set in motion by King Frederick IX. Who helped him start it? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus (37 CE)Nero became emperor of Rome by murdering his mother and step-brother. His respectful treatment of the Senate made him a popular emperor in the east, but his reign was marred by unemployment and a major revolt in Britain. After a fire ravaged Rome in 64 CE, he persecuted the Christians as scapegoats. With his reign in decline, Nero went on a murderous rampage, was condemned by the Senate, and chose suicide over execution. According to legend, Nero played the fiddle while Rome burned. Is it true? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I have come to have the firm conviction that vanity is the basis of everything, and finally that what one calls conscience is only inner vanity.Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Bill of Rights Day (2020)The first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution of 1787—referred to collectively as the Bill of Rights—were ratified on December 15, 1791. This landmark document protected American citizens from specific abuses by their government and guaranteed such basic rights as the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom of the press. In 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt designated December 15 as Bill of Rights Day and called upon Americans to observe it with appropriate patriotic ceremonies. More... | |