Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, August 16, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
actuate
| |||||||
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Benjamin BrittenConsidered the most significant British composer since Henry Purcell, Britten first won international acclaim in 1937 for his Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge for string orchestra. His operas, admired for their skillful setting of English words and their orchestral interludes, include The Rape of Lucretia, The Turn of the Screw, and Death in Venice. In 1976, he became the first British composer in history to be ennobled. What honor did he decline? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 First Issue of Sports Illustrated Is Published (1954)The first issue of Sports Illustrated—featuring Milwaukee Braves star Eddie Mathews at bat—was published in 1954. The brainchild of Henry Luce, the founder of Time magazine, it became one of the most influential sports magazines in America. Though Sports Illustrated originally covered a wide range of sports, including hunting and yachting, today it focuses on major sports, such as football and baseball. When was the annual swimsuit issue first published? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888)Lawrence was a British adventurer, soldier, and scholar popularly known as Lawrence of Arabia. He learned Arabic while on an archaeological expedition in Mesopotamia, then served in intelligence for the British army in Egypt during WWI. After conceiving a plan to support an Arab rebellion against the Ottoman Empire—a German ally—he joined the Arab forces and became a leader in the revolt, but he failed to achieve the formation of an independent Arab state. What did he later do under false names? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Subdue your appetites, my dears, and you've conquered human nature.Charles Dickens (1812-1870) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Blessing of the Grapes (2020)In ancient times people in Armenia dedicated their grape harvest to Astrik, the goddess of the hearth, in a New Year celebration called Navasard. Nowadays the festival is associated with the Feast of the Assumption, and is celebrated on the Sunday nearest August 15, which is the feast day. No one is supposed to eat grapes until this day, when a tray filled with them is blessed in the church. Each member of the congregation is given a bunch of grapes as he or she leaves, and parties are held after the church ceremony in homes and in the vineyards. More... | |