Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, August 23, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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nettlesome
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Thankful VillagesThankful Villages are localities in England and Wales that lost no soldiers in WWI. In those rare parishes, every person who enlisted in the armed forces returned home alive. The term "Thankful Village" was coined in the 1930s by writer Arthur Mee, who identified 32 such places. Another 20 have since been added to the list. In France, where the death toll was higher, only one village lost no soldiers in WWI, and it also has the distinction of having lost none in WWII either. What village is it? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Freckleton Air Disaster (1944)On the morning of August 23, 1944, an American B-24 bomber aircraft crashed into the village of Freckleton in Lancashire, England, during a fierce storm. The plane hit the Holy Trinity School, three houses, and a snack bar for American servicemen. Fuel from the plane's ruptured fuel tank created an inferno. Of the 61 people killed in the crash and fire, 38 were children. What reportedly widespread belief among the American airmen about British weather may have contributed to the disaster? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ernst Krenek (1900)Krenek was an Austrian-American composer born in Vienna to Czech parents. He studied in Berlin and Vienna and began composing in the 1920s. His 1926 jazz opera, Johnny Strikes Up, was extremely successful and has been translated into many languages. He explored atonal and 12-tone compositions, which lack a definable key. In 1937, Krenek moved to the US, where he became a citizen in 1945. In 1924, he began a short-lived marriage to the daughter of what famous composer? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I'm always rather nervous about how you talk about women who are active in politics, whether they want to be talked about as women or as politicians.John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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.jpg) Rishi Panchami (2020)Hindus devote the day of Rishi Panchami to the Sapta Rishis, the seven seers of Brahma: Bhrigu, Pulastya, Kratu, Pulaha, Marichi, Atri, and Vasistha. An earthenware or copper pitcher filled with water is placed on an altar sanctified with cow dung. The seven seers are then worshipped with betel leaf, flowers, camphor, and lamps. Only fruits are eaten on this day. Rishi Panchami is primarily a women's festival, but men may observe it for the well-being and happiness of their wives. Devi Arundhati, the wife of Rishi Vasistha and a model of conjugal excellence, is also worshipped on this day. More... | |