Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, December 11, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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dolmen
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| Article of the Day | |
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 BushidoBushido, which means "way of the warrior," is a code of conduct of the Japanese samurai class. Along with self-discipline, honor, and austerity, the code emphasized the samurai's obligation to his lord, which superseded even familial ties. After the Meiji Restoration in 1868 effectively ended feudalism and returned power to the emperor, the samurai's obligation of loyalty and sacrifice shifted, becoming the basis for the cult of emperor worship. What is hara-kiri? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 King Louis XVI of France Tried for Treason (1792)Louis XVI was King of France from 1774 to 1792. Shy, dull, and corpulent, he proved unsuited to the task of navigating the complex social and political conflict smoldering in France. His failure to resolve the country's enormous debt touched off a chain of events that culminated in the outbreak of revolution. In 1792, the monarchy was abolished and Louis tried for treason. Found guilty, he was guillotined on January 21, 1793. What supposedly foiled his attempted escape from France in 1791? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Pope Leo X (1475)Leo X, born into the important Florentine Medici family, rose to the papacy in 1513. He was a patron of the arts and a generous almsgiver, but he was also strongly criticized for his lavish lifestyle. He was not greatly interested in the advancement of the Church, and when Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the church door at Wittenberg, Leo X's subsequent excommunication of Luther did little to stem the tide of the Reformation. What massive animal did he keep as a pet? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Egotist, n.: A person of low taste, more interested in himself than in me.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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not as black as (one) is painted— Not as evil, malicious, or malignant as one is described or believed to be. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Christkindlesmarkt (2022)Christkindlesmarkt is the biggest and best known of the Christmas markets of Germany. The market in Bavaria, Germany, has been held since 1697 in the city's Hauptmarkt ("main market"); more than 100 booths are set up to offer only goods directly related to Christmas, and food booths sell Nuremberg's specialties—Lebkuchen, or gingerbread, and Zwetschgenmannlein, which are little people-shaped confections. The three-week festival is inaugurated with choral singing, the pealing of church bells, and illumination of a creche. More... | |