Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, October 15, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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frisson
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| Article of the Day | |
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 The Tempest PrognosticatorThe Tempest Prognosticator, known also as the Leech Barometer because it uses leeches to predict storms, was invented in 1850 by Dr. George Merryweather. The device contains 12 leeches, each kept in a small bottle. When the leeches become agitated by electrical conditions in the atmosphere generated by an approaching storm, they attempt to climb out of the bottles and trigger a small hammer that strikes a bell. Whose poetry inspired Merryweather to build his device? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Pierre Laval Is Executed for Treason (1945)In 1942, Laval, a French politician who had advocated collaboration with Nazi Germany, came to power. His government drafted laborers for German factories, cooperated in the deportation of Jews to death camps, and instituted a rule of terror. After France was liberated by the Allies, Laval fled. He was eventually captured and returned to France, where he was convicted of treason and sentenced to death. How did Laval attempt to change his fate? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Sir Pelham Grenville "P. G." Wodehouse (1881)Wodehouse was an English-American comic writer who enjoyed enormous success during his more than 70-year career. His works are set in Edwardian England and feature idiotic youths, feckless debutantes, redoubtable aunts, and stuffy businessmen. His most famous characters are the young bachelor Bertie Wooster and his unflappable valet Jeeves. Although Wodehouse was knighted shortly before his death, the character of Bertie did cost him entry into the Order of the Companions of Honour in 1967. Why? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Discretion of speech is more than eloquence, and to speak agreeably to him with whom we deal is more than to speak in good words, or in good order.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be like oil and water— To be incompatible or unable to interact or coexist easily, as due to fundamental differences in personality, opinions, beliefs, etc. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Tucson Meet Yourself Festival (2017)The annual folk and ethnic festival known as Tucson Meet Yourself has been held in Tucson, Arizona, since 1974. Designed to promote southern Arizona's wide mix of cultures, the festival features formal presentations of traditional music and dance, demonstrations by folk artists and craftspeople, and workshops in which various experts on ethnic customs and traditions hold informal discussions, give lessons, and organize games. Food, however, is the festival's primary attraction, giving the festival the well-earned nickname of "Tucson Eat Yourself." More... | |
| In the News | |
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Nasa carbon space observatory 'watches Earth breathe'A Nasa satellite has provided remarkable new insights on how CO2 is moved through the Earth's atmosphere. The Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO) tracked the behaviour of the gas in 2015/2016 - a period when the planet experienced a major El Niño event. This ... More... | |