Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, December 6, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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bode
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Bhimbetka Rock SheltersPossibly inhabited more than 100,000 years ago, the Bhimbetka Rock Shelters are a series of caves in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh that exhibit traces of early human life. Bhimbetka was first recorded in 1888 as a Buddhist site, and since archaeologists began visiting it in the 1950s, more than 700 rock shelters have been identified. They are mainly painted in red and white and depict many everyday activities, such as hunting, dancing, and worshipping. What is "Zoo Rock"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 13th Amendment to US Constitution is Ratified (1865)The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution completed the process of abolishing slavery, which had begun with Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1863. Between February 1 and December 6 of 1865, the required three-fourths of the existing states—then 27 of 36—ratified the proposed amendment, making it law. Slavery offenses were still being prosecuted as recently as 1947. Which of the states that initially rejected the amendment finally ratified it in 2013, 147 years after it was adopted? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jean Eugène Robert-Houdin (1805)Considered the father of modern conjuring, Houdin was a French magician after whom Harry Houdini named himself. Trained as a watchmaker, he was mechanically savvy and used this to his advantage in his act, employing mechanical devices and the newly discovered phenomenon of electromagnetism to create his illusions. Unlike magicians who relied on supernatural explanations for their feats, he openly attributed his magic to natural means. Why did the French government send him to Algeria in 1856? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It was easier to know it than to explain why I knew it. If you were asked to prove that two and two made four, you might find some difficulty, and yet you are quite sure of the fact.Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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get knocked out cold— To be rendered unconscious, as by a physical blow, medication, or other means. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Finland Independence Day (2022)The Finnish people lived under Russian control beginning in 1809. The Finnish nationalist movement grew in the 1800s, and when the Bolsheviks took over Russia on November 7, 1917, the Finns saw a time to declare their independence. They did so on December 6 of that same year. This day is a national holiday celebrated with military parades in Helsinki and performances at the National Theater. It is traditionally a solemn occasion that begins with a parade of students carrying torches and one flag for each year of independence. More... | |