Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, July 11, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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prorogue
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| Article of the Day | |
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 HephaestionHephaestion was a Macedonian general who supervised the foundation of cities and colonies in Bactria, central Asia, and India. He was a close friend of Alexander the Great, who called him "my Patroclus"—in reference to the friend of the Greek hero Achilles. In 324 BCE, Hephaestion married Alexander's sister-in-law, Drypetis, but died suddenly in the same year at Ecbatana, the capital of ancient Media, in what is now northwestern Iran. How did Alexander mark Hephaestion's death? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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.jpg) Skylab Returns to Earth (1979)Five years after it was abandoned in orbit, the US space laboratory Skylab began to fall back toward Earth. The impending re-entry and breakup became an international media event, as it was unclear exactly when or where the debris would land. News organizations went so far as to offer rewards for surviving pieces of the spacecraft. The debris finally crashed to Earth in Western Australia, earning NASA a $400 fine for littering from the Shire of Esperance. When was the fine paid? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 John Quincy Adams (1767)The son of a US president, Adams accompanied his father on diplomatic missions as a child and began his own political career at 14. A talented ambassador, he became secretary of state under President James Monroe. In 1824, he defeated Andrew Jackson in the presidential race, but he was unpopular in this role and lost to Jackson in the next election. He was then elected to Congress, where he served until his death. An outspoken opponent of slavery, he defended what famous mutineers in 1841? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 As the viper, though it kills with it, does not deserve to be blamed for the poison it carries, as it is a gift of nature, neither do I deserve reproach for being beautiful.Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Dunmow Flitch Trial (2020)The custom of awarding a flitch of bacon ("flitch" refers to the side of a hog) to any married pair who have neither regretted their union nor quarrelled for a year and a day since their wedding dates back to the 13th century in England. The trial formerly took place on Whit Monday, but these days it is held every four years in July. Today, claimants for the Dunmow Flitch are required to answer questions about their marriage at a mock trial, presided over by a judge. A jury consisting of six spinsters and six bachelors gives the verdict, and the proceedings are usually lighthearted. More... | |