Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, November 24, 2021)Word of the Day | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
whet
|
Article of the Day | |
---|---|
EunuchsThe custom of employing eunuchs—men who have been castrated—as servants in wealthy or royal households dates back millennia. In ancient China and the Middle East, eunuchs acted as guards in harems and as chamberlains to kings. The confidential position enabled them to exert considerable influence over their masters. Use of eunuchs in royal courts peaked during the Byzantine Empire and faded with the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Whose assassin's killer castrated himself to avoid sexual temptation? More... |
This Day in History | |
---|---|
Mysterious Hijacker Parachutes from Plane with $200,000 Ransom (1971)To this day, the true identity of the well-dressed man calling himself Dan Cooper—reported in the press as D. B. Cooper—who hijacked a passenger jet and then parachuted from the airborne Boeing 727 with a $200,000 ransom, remains a mystery. Despite numerous leads and a great deal of media attention, the mystery man's true identity and whereabouts continue to elude investigators, and the bulk of the money has never been recovered. What are some theories about who he was and what became of him? More... |
Today's Birthday | |
---|---|
Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849)Burnett, a British-American playwright and author, began writing professionally in her late teens in order to help support her struggling family. Her stories were initially printed in magazines, and her first novel was published in 1877. Her books for adults were well received, but it was her children's novels—particularly Little Lord Fauntleroy and The Secret Garden—that brought Burnett her greatest and most enduring success. How did her writings influence the fashions of the day? More... |
Quotation of the Day | |
---|---|
The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) |
Idiom of the Day | |
---|---|
be held in high regard— To be regarded with a large amount of respect or admiration. More... |
Today's Holiday | |
---|---|
Jizo Ennichi (2022)Tradition calls for Japanese Buddhists to honor Kshitigarba Jizo on the 24th day of each month with a ritual known as Jizo Ennichi. Kshitigarba Jizo is a Bodhisattva, or "Buddha-to-be." Among Japanese Buddhists, he is known for helping children, women in labor, and the wicked. He is also believed to participate in ushering in the souls of the faithful when they die. His statue is most often found outside temples, where he can guide both the dead and the living. Shrines in his honor are set up along roadsides, since he protects travelers as well. More... |