Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, January 1, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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burgeon
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| Article of the Day | |
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 The Narmer PaletteDating from about the 31st century BCE, the Narmer Palette has been called "the first historical document in the world." The 25-inch (63-cm), shield-shaped palette is carved from a single piece of flat siltstone and has survived 5,000 years in almost perfect condition. It contains some of the earliest known hieroglyphic inscriptions as well as the earliest known depictions of an Egyptian king. Some scholars believe it depicts what event that, according to tradition, took place under King Menes? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Frankenstein Is Published (1818)Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus is a gothic novel that spawned a new genre of horror stories. It tells the story of Frankenstein, a scientist who discovers how to bring inanimate matter to life and, in the process, creates a man-monster. When Frankenstein fails to provide a mate to satisfy the creature's human emotions, it seeks revenge. Mary Shelley came up with the idea for the novel while vacationing at the home of what famous poet? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Chiune Sugihara (1900)A Japanese diplomat, Sugihara was sent to Kaunas, Lithuania, in the early days of World War II. There, in direct violation of his orders from Tokyo, the consul began issuing transit visas for fleeing Jews. Without such visas, the refugees would not have been permitted to leave the country. In little over a month, he wrote thousands of visas, continuing even as the train removing him from his consulate post pulled out of the station. How did the Japanese government react to his insubordination? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Be not penny-wise; riches have wings, and sometimes they fly away of themselves.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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close the barn door after the horse has bolted— To try to prevent or rectify a problem after the damage has already been done. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Oshogatsu (2023)This is the "festival of festivals" in Japan, and it is celebrated for several days. Government offices, banks, museums and most businesses are closed from New Year's Day, a national holiday, through January 3. For weeks before New Year's, people clean house and purchase new clothes for the children. On New Year's Day, it's customary to pray at the household altar and to eat special foods, such as small, round, gooey rice cakes called mochi. Herring roe is eaten for fertility, black beans for health, dried chestnuts for success, and porgy and prawns are omens of happiness. More... | |