Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, October 22, 2021)Word of the Day | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
gauche
|
Article of the Day | |
---|---|
Wujing ZongyaoChinese scholars completed the Wujing Zongyao in 1044 under orders from Emperor Renzong. A military compendium detailing techniques for warfare, it includes the earliest known gunpowder formulas. The Chinese initially used gunpowder to make firecrackers, but they soon took it onto the battlefield. The Wujing Zongyao gives instructions for creating a bomb that is launched from a catapult as well as for a poison-smoke bomb. It also describes a primitive version of what modern weapon? More... |
This Day in History | |
---|---|
Kennedy Confirms Missile Presence in Cuba (1962)The Cuban Missile Crisis was a major Cold War confrontation that began when US reconnaissance flights uncovered Soviet missile sites in Cuba. President John F. Kennedy denounced the Soviet actions, imposed a naval blockade on Cuba, and vowed that the US would retaliate against any missile launched from Cuba. After hovering on the brink of war for several days, the two superpowers were able to reach a compromise. From which countries did the Soviets demand the withdrawal of American missiles? More... |
Today's Birthday | |
---|---|
Curly Howard (1903)Jerome Lester Horwitz, a man best known as "Curly Howard" or simply "Curly," was arguably the most popular member of the legendary comedy trio the Three Stooges. He appeared in nearly 100 Three Stooges shorts before suffering a career-ending stroke. According to brother and fellow Stooge Moe Howard, Curly often struggled with his lines and instead improvised the visual and vocal nonsense that became hallmarks of his character. Why did he shave his head for the role of Curly? More... |
Quotation of the Day | |
---|---|
When I talk of eyes, the stars come out! Whose eyes are they? If they are angels' eyes, why do they look down here and see good men hurt, and only wink and sparkle all the night? Charles Dickens (1812-1870) |
Idiom of the Day | |
---|---|
cut (one's) stick— To leave hastily or abruptly. More... |
Today's Holiday | |
---|---|
Jidai Matsuri (2022)Jidai Matsuri is one of the three great festivals of Kyoto, Japan, commemorating the founding of the city as capital in the year 794. A procession of more than 2,000 costumed people depict the epochs or ages in Kyoto's history. They parade from the Imperial Palace to the Heian Shrine, which was built in the 18th century as a dedication to the emperors who established Kyoto as the capital. The capital was moved in 1868 to Tokyo, and the festival stems from that time. Among the paraders is one representing Gen. Toyotomi Hideyoshi, a patron of the arts under whom Kyoto flourished. More... |