Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, November 25, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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grinder
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Oracle BonesOracle bones—often the shoulder blades of oxen or turtles’ shells—were used for divination during China's Shang dynasty, which dates to the 18th century BCE. They were inscribed with questions, then heated to produce cracks from which answers were somehow derived. A small number of them are inscribed with the answers to their questions and eventual outcomes. The inscriptions are some of the earliest examples of Chinese writing. When they were first discovered, what were they believed to be? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Battle of Montgisard (1177)The Kingdom of Jerusalem—a feudal state created by the leaders of the First Crusade in the areas they had wrested from the Muslims in Syria and Palestine—came under attack in the Battle of Montgisard. Although heavily outnumbered, sickly king Baldwin IV and his troops defeated renowned Kurdish military general Saladin by surprising his army en route. The kingdom enjoyed a brief truce before Saladin renewed his attacks. What powerful Christian military order participated in the battle? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Andrew Carnegie (1835)Famed Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie amassed a huge fortune in iron and steel during the American Industrial Revolution, eventually selling his firm to J.P. Morgan's U.S. Steel Corporation for several hundred million dollars. However, Carnegie was not content to keep his riches to himself. Guided by the belief that the rich are "trustees" of their wealth and must administer it for the good of the public, he donated how much of his fortune during his lifetime? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 We called him Tortoise because he taught us.Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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Hell hath no fury like a (certain type of person) scorned— No one will have a greater wrath or vengeance than (this type of person) when he or she has been wronged. A hyperbolic and often humorous play on the phrase "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned," in which any person, demographic, or profession may be substituted for "woman." More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Catherine's Day (Estonia) (2022)Estonian folklorists believe that the customs associated with Kadripäev, or St. Catherine's Day, may date back to pre-Christian times. The holiday is strongly associated with women and their traditional activities, such as herding. People dress up in light-colored clothing, symbolizing winter's snow, and visit their neighbors, singing songs and offering blessings for the family's animals. In return, householders offer them cloth, wool, or food. An old superstition connected with the day forbade such activities as shearing as a means of protecting the sheep. More... | |