Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, July 3, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
despondent
| |||||||
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 British East India CompanyChartered by Queen Elizabeth I in 1600, the British East India Company was founded to break the Dutch monopoly on the spice trade. It gradually acquired unequalled trade privileges in India, reaping huge profits. Guarding against foreign and domestic competition, it began to intervene in Indian politics, sometimes with military force. The British government came to increasingly control the company. What prompted the government to finally take over the company—and India—in 1858? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Karl Benz Unveils His Patent Motorwagen (1886)Six months after applying for a patent for a three-wheeled horseless carriage driven by an internal combustion engine, Benz staged a public demonstration of the contraption in Mannheim, Germany. Widely regarded as the first automobile, the Benz Patent Motorwagen resembled a park bench on a giant tricycle and had a steering handle instead of the now-familiar wheel. It was only used for short jaunts until 1888, when Benz's wife took it for its first long-distance road trip. What was its top speed? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Mary Frances Kennedy Fisher (1908)Raised in California, Fisher moved to Dijon, France, after her first marriage. There, she was inspired by the gastronomist Brillat-Savarin, and her 1949 translation of his Physiology of Taste is considered a classic. She created a new literary genre with her culinary writing, producing witty essays evoking the pleasures of life and food in a graceful style. Her books include How to Cook a Wolf and The Gastronomical Me. Where did Fisher spend her last 20 years? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Believe there is a great power silently working all things for good, behave yourself and never mind the rest.Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Aston Magna Music Festival (2020)Held since the 1970s, this festival brings music of the Baroque period and beyond to today's audiences using historically accurate instruments and performance practices. The mission of this annual event in the Berkshires of Massachusetts is "to enrich the appreciation of music of the past and the understanding of the cultural, political, and social contexts in which it was composed and experienced." For five consecutive weekends, a 21st-century audience can enjoy a musical experience closely resembling that of an earlier era. More... | |