Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, May 24, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Article of the Day | |
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 GalalithGalalith is a biodegradable, nonflammable plastic material made of the milk protein casein and formaldehyde. Called "milk stone," it was one of the first synthetic materials ever produced. It was used for Art-Deco jewelry, buttons, and pens and replaced ivory in piano keys. Though it could be easily dyed and cut, it could not be molded, and this drawback, along with milk rationing in WWII, led to its commercial demise. It can be easily produced at home with milk and what other common ingredient? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 USSR Begins Drilling World's Deepest Hole (1970)The Kola Superdeep Borehole project was an attempt to dig as far as possible into the Earth's crust. It began when, in 1970, following setbacks in the Space Race, Soviet scientists looked downward. Digging on the remote Kola Peninsula for some 20 years, they reached a depth of 40,230 feet (12,262 m)—about a third of the way through the Earth's crust—before being forced to stop due to higher-than-expected temperatures of 350° F (180° C). Surprisingly, water was found at what depth? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Joseph Brodsky (1940)Soon after Brodsky began writing poetry in the USSR in the 1950s, he was accused by the government of "social parasitism" and sentenced to hard labor. Exiled in 1972, he settled in New York and began writing in English. He was awarded a Nobel Prize in 1987 and was poet laureate of the US for a time. His poetry, with its themes of loss and exile, is highly regarded for its intensity, depth, and wit. What was his retort when a Soviet judge once asked him, "Who enrolled you in the ranks of poets?" More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I always advise people never to give advice.P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 DanceAfrica (2020)DanceAfrica is a festival of dance that takes place annually in New York City during the Memorial Day weekend in late May. Founded by choreographer Chuck Davis, the festival began in 1977 as a means of counteracting the negative stereotypes of African dance presented in the media. It features international dancers and musicians and showcases such forms as African folk dance, Afro-Caribbean fusion, and African-American dance theatre. The weekend also includes African music and film presentations and an outdoor marketplace featuring African-themed arts, food, clothing, and crafts. More... | |