Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, November 6, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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perfidious
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Isolation TanksIn 1954, John C. Lilly developed the isolation tank to test the effects of sensory deprivation. Such tanks are intended to completely deprive the brain of any external stimulation; they are lightless, soundproof, and filled with warm saltwater to promote flotation and reduce skin sensation. Isolation tanks are now used for meditation, relaxation, and in alternative medicine. A therapeutic session typically lasts an hour, and it is reportedly common to experience what during the first 40 minutes? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Voters Reject Proposal to Establish Australia as a Republic (1999)The British began settling Australia in 1788, and before long, the entire continent was a British dependency. Over the years, Britain's role in Australian government has been progressively restricted, yet Australians remain reluctant to entirely cut ties, as evidenced by the 1999 referendum in which voters rejected a plan to establish Australia as a republic and replace the British monarch as head of state with a president elected by parliament. What other measure did they strike down? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 James Naismith (1861)While teaching physical education in 1891, Naismith was tasked with creating a safe and inexpensive indoor sport to occupy his students during the Massachusetts winter. His game involved throwing a soccer ball through suspended half-bushel peach baskets, hence the name "basketball"—though "Naismith Ball" was briefly considered before the inventor rejected it. The game took off on campus and quickly spread across the US and around the globe. What other sports invention is credited to Naismith? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 So, let us not be blind to our differences—but let us also direct attention to our common interests and to the means by which those differences can be resolved.John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Gustavus Adolphus Day (2018)Swedish King Gustav II was killed during the Thirty Years' War while leading a cavalry charge at the Battle of Lützen on November 6, 1632, turning a tactical victory into a national tragedy for the Swedes. The anniversary of his death is observed throughout Sweden with patriotic demonstrations, particularly in Skansen, Stockholm's outdoor museum. Enormous bonfires are built on Reindeer Mountain and processions of students carry lighted torches through the museum grounds. More... | |