Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, September 29, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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tidbit
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Islamic Script CalligraphyRevered as the primary means by which the Qur'an has been preserved, Islamic calligraphy is the art of decorative writing that often employs Arabic script, which consists of a 28-letter alphabet and 18 different forms of writing. These calligraphic scripts are often woven into intricate pictographic calligrams depicting animals, mosques, and various other figures. Which Christian saint's relics are wrapped in a shroud decorated with Islamic calligraphy? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Émile Zola Dies of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning (1902)Zola had an ardent zeal for social reform. His part in the Dreyfus Affair, notably his 1898 article "J'accuse," was his most conspicuous public action and earned him the animosity of the anti-Dreyfus party. Prosecuted for libel, he escaped to England, where he remained until an amnesty enabled his return to France. A couple of years later, he died suddenly under suspicious circumstances, overcome by carbon-monoxide fumes in his sleep. Was it just a tragic accident or something more sinister? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Gene Autry (1907)Probably the most successful "singing cowboy" in American film, Autry began performing on the radio during the 1920s in Oklahoma. He moved to Hollywood in the early 30s and went on to star in nearly 100 films, becoming America's top Western star from 1937 to 1943. He usually played a singing hero astride his famous horse, Champion. He wrote and recorded hundreds of songs, including his signature song, "Back in the Saddle Again." What well-known Christmas song was Autry's biggest hit? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Great men are seldom over-scrupulous in the arrangement of their attire.Charles Dickens (1812-1870) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Tura Michele Fair (2020)On St. Michael’s Day in Augsburg, Bavaria, there is an annual fair that attracts visitors from all over Germany. One of the fair's chief attractions is the appearance of figures representing the Archangel Michael and the Devil that are built into the foundation of Perlach Turm, or Tower (called Tura in local dialect). Whenever the tower bell strikes on St. Michael's Day, the Archangel appears and stabs with his pointed spear at the Devil writhing at his feet. For four centuries spectators have gathered around the Tura to watch the symbolic drama reenacted on St. Michael's Day. More... | |