Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, May 31, 2018)Word of the Day | |||||||
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uncultivated
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Article of the Day | |
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![]() BoggartsBoggarts are malevolent household spirits of British folklore that latch on to unfortunate families and cause trouble for them by making things disappear, making milk go sour, and even stripping the linens off of beds in which people are sleeping. Superstitions about boggarts vary but often include the beliefs that the creatures should never be named and that hanging a horseshoe on the door of a house will keep them away. The features of what Uranian moon are named after mischievous spirits? More... |
This Day in History | |
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![]() Titanic's Last Survivor Dies (2009)More than 1,500 lives were lost when the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage in 1912. However, several hundred of the ship's 2,200 passengers managed to survive. Among them was Millvina Dean, who, at just three months of age, was the ship's youngest passenger. Though she escaped with her mother and brother, her father did not survive. Eventually, she became the disaster's last living survivor. Who helped pay for her healthcare costs toward the end of her life? More... |
Today's Birthday | |
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![]() Lady Margaret Beaufort (1443)Beaufort was an English noblewoman, wife of Edmund Tudor, and the mother of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor Dynasty. She gave birth to Henry at 13, shortly after being widowed, and developed a close bond with her only child. Renowned for her philanthropy, she endowed professorships of divinity at Oxford and Cambridge and with the help of her confessor, John Fisher, founded Christ's College and St. John's College, Cambridge. She later acted as regent for Henry VIII. How many times did she marry? More... |
Quotation of the Day | |
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![]() Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) |
Today's Holiday | |
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![]() Festa do Divino (Festival of the Divine Holy Spirit) (2020)Portuguese colonists brought their Pentecost celebration, the Festa do Divino, to Brazil in the 17th century. This religious festival is still celebrated today in many Brazilian cities. In Alcântara, Maranhão State, and Paraty, Rio de Janeiro State, the townspeople dress up in colonial costumes of figures from Brazilian history. The climax is a visit from the "Emperor," who arrives with his servants for a procession and mass at the church square. He symbolically frees prisoners from the town jail, and strolling musicians known as Folias do Divino serenade the townspeople. More... |