Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, October 15, 2019)Word of the Day | |||||||
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long-winded
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Article of the Day | |
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Dorus RijkersRijkers was a Dutch lifeboat captain and folk hero who became famous for his sea rescues of nearly 500 shipwrecked victims. His life-saving career began in 1872 while he was captain of his own boat. While at sea, he saved all 25 crew members of the ship Australia from drowning. He later joined a Dutch lifeboat society as a volunteer and saved hundreds of people during dozens of rescue operations over three decades. How did Rijkers get the nickname Opa, which means "Grandpa"? More... |
This Day in History | |
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Jupiter's Io Observed by Spacecraft Galileo (2001)Discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610, Io is Jupiter's closest and third largest moon. It played a significant role in the first measurement of the speed of light, calculated by 17th-century Danish astronomer Ole Rømer. The most geologically active of Jupiter's moons, Io has 30 active volcanoes that are probably energized by the tidal effects of Jupiter's enormous mass. In 2001, the unmanned spacecraft Galileo came within 110 miles (180 km) of Io. What did its images reveal about Io? More... |
Today's Birthday | |
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Marie Carmichael Stopes (1880)A Scottish paleobotanist whose first marriage was annulled—and allegedly never consummated—Stopes went on to publish a controversial yet highly influential sex manual, Married Love, in 1918. Thereafter, she became a pioneer in the field of family planning, opening the first birth-control clinic in the British Empire in 1921. Stopes helped break down taboos and improve women's reproductive health, but her support of what field of reproductive science has somewhat marred her reputation? More... |
Quotation of the Day | |
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There is no recollection which time does not put an end to, and no pain which death does not remove. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) |
Idiom of the Day | |
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cross (one's) bows— To annoy or irritate. More... |
Today's Holiday | |
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Dahlonega Gold Rush Days (2022)Gold Rush Days are a celebratory reminder in Dahlonega, Georgia, of the town's heyday as a gold-rush town. The nation's first major gold rush was here in 1828, and the area around Dahlonega boomed—a federal mint built in 1838 operated for 23 years and coined more than $6 million. Mining continued into the beginning of the 20th century, and today visitors can pan for gold at several locations. The name of the town is derived from the Cherokee name Talonega, meaning "golden." The festival includes arts and crafts exhibits, country cooking, and hog-calling contests. More... |