Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, October 17, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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cordate
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| Article of the Day | |
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 The Weeping WillowEasily recognized by its long drooping branches and leaves, the weeping willow belongs to the Salicaceae family of deciduous trees and shrubs. It is native to China, but, as willow cuttings generally take root quite easily, it has been cultivated elsewhere for millennia. Legend has it that all of England's weeping willows are descended from a cutting sent to Lady Suffolk from Spain. Though it is widely cultivated for ornamental purposes, the weeping willow is used by some to serve what function? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Taipei 101 Becomes World's Tallest Building (2003)On October 17, 2003, a pinnacle placed atop Taiwan's Taipei 101 allowed it to surpass the height of what had once been the tallest buildings in the world—the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia—by 184 feet (56 m). Designed to withstand typhoons and earthquakes, Taipei 101 houses a massive pendulum suspended from the 92nd floor to counteract swaying. Its elevators set a record in 2004 with top ascending speeds of about 37 mph (60 km/h). What is currently the world's tallest structure? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Arthur Miller (1915)Miller was an American dramatist whose plays deal with morality and the pressures exerted by family and society. The Crucible, one of his most famous works, is a dramatization of the 17th-century Salem witch trials and a parable about the US in the McCarthy era. His masterpiece, Death of a Salesman, was the first play to win a Pulitzer Prize for Drama, a Tony Award for Best Play, and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award all in the same year. What movie star was his second wife? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Pleasure bought with pains, hurts.Aesop (620 BC-560 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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cross as two sticks— Angry or irritated. Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Anniversary of the Death of Jean-Jacques Dessalines (2022)A former slave, Jean-Jacques Dessalines (ca. 1758–October 17, 1806) played a pivotal role under the command of Toussaint L'Ouverture in the Haitian struggle for independence from France. Dessalines ruled Haiti as Emperor Jacques I for two years before he was assassinated in a coup. It is Dessalines' legacy as a freedom fighter and a founding father that Haitians remember on this official holiday commemorating the anniversary of his death. Haitians observe the holiday by participating in street parades in the capital city of Port-au-Prince and other cities. More... | |