Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, December 13, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Article of the Day | |
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 TaphephobiaTaphephobia is the psychopathological fear of being buried alive. Before the advent of modern medicine, this fear was not entirely irrational. Throughout history, there have been many cases of people being accidentally buried alive, and the horrific prospect has been a favorite subject of urban legends and literature, including several stories by Edgar Allan Poe. During the 18th and 19th centuries, such fears led to a large number of designs for "safety coffins," which employed what safeguards? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Council of Trent Convened (1545)The Council of Trent made sweeping reforms to the Catholic Church over 18 years, eliminating many abuses criticized in the Protestant Reformation. Convened by Pope Paul III at Trento, Italy—28 years after Martin Luther issued his 95 Theses—the council fixed the canon of the Old and New Testaments, set the number of sacraments at seven, defined the nature of original sin, and confirmed the doctrine of transubstantiation. How many years was it until the next ecumenical council? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Emily Carr (1871)Now considered an icon of Canadian art, Carr did not receive widespread recognition for her work until later in life. She primarily painted indigenous-themed or landscape scenes, and she was relatively unknown until her work was featured in a 1927 exhibition at the National Gallery, when she was in her 50s. Carr continued to paint thereafter but had to reduce her artistic output in her 70s due to health concerns. Instead, Carr began to pursue what other talent for which she is also remembered? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 One should never trust a woman who tells one her real age. A woman who would tell one that, would tell one anything.Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Susuharai (2018)In Japan, many people choose to give their houses a thorough cleaning at year's end. Worn or broken furniture and utensils and items that have been lost are replaced. New tatami mats, the thick straw mats on which people sit and sleep, are brought in, and damage to the paper sliding doors in traditional Japanese houses is repaired. In some areas, it is customary to tie pounded rice cakes (mochi-bana, "rice-cake flowers") to the branches of willow trees as an offering to the gods. Friends and co-workers may also throw "year-end forgetting parties" known as bonen-kai. More... | |