Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, January 8, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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connive
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Tunneling ShieldsTunneling shields are used in the excavation of tunnels through soft ground, especially under rivers or in water-bearing strata, to prevent the tunnels from collapsing before they are reinforced with concrete, cast iron, or steel support structures. The Thames Tunnel project in 1825 was the first in which a tunneling shield was used. Designed by Sir Marc Brunel, the device was considered unsuccessful and was not employed again until 1870, after what crucial improvement was made? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 US President Woodrow Wilson Introduces His Fourteen Points (1918)In 1918, Wilson presented to the US Congress his Fourteen Points as a guide for a peace settlement after World War I. He emphasized "open covenants of peace, openly arrived at," to change the usual method of secret diplomacy practiced in Europe. Wilson's idealistic message also laid the groundwork for the creation of the League of Nations. Opposition to the points quickly developed, however, and the subsequent treaty between Germany and the Allies sowed the seeds for what conflict? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Emily Greene Balch (1867)Balch was an American economist and sociologist who taught at Wellesley College until her dismissal in 1918 for opposing US involvement in World War I. She was a co-founder, along with Jane Addams, of the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom and served as its international secretary from 1919 to 1922. In 1946, she shared the Nobel Peace Prize with longtime YMCA leader John R. Mott. Balch was among the first graduates of what American college in 1889? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Two cheers for Democracy: one because it admits variety and two because it permits criticism.E. M. Forster (1879-1970) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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fox guarding the henhouse— A person likely to exploit the information or resources that he or she has been charged to protect or control. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Battle of New Orleans Day (2023)When British soldiers attacked near the Chalmette plantation outside New Orleans on January 8, 1815, they were met by a ragtag army of militiamen, sailors, and pirates fighting from behind barricades. The defending US troops were led by General Andrew Jackson, whose stunning victory—the British suffered some 2,000 casualties, while the Americans lost only eight men—made him a national hero. This day remains a legal holiday in Louisiana, where it is also known as Jackson Day or, in honor of Jackson's nickname, as Old Hickory's Day. More... | |