Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, January 26, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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self-righteous
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| Article of the Day | |
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 OstracismIn ancient Athens, ostracism was a method of temporarily banishing a public figure. Each year, the assembly took a preliminary vote to decide whether a vote of ostracism should be held. If a majority approved holding an ostracism, voters would put into an urn a piece of pottery—called an ostrakon—marked with the name of a person they wished to be ostracized. If at least 6,000 votes were cast, the person named on the most ostraka was exiled. How long did the exile last? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Beaumont Siblings Disappear without a Trace (1966)The Beaumont children's disappearance from an Australian beach launched what would become one of the largest police investigations in Australian criminal history. On a hot summer day in 1966, nine-year-old Jane Beaumont took her two younger siblings to a nearby beach, but they never returned home. Police investigations revealed that the children had been seen with a strange man and later walking alone, but the case was never solved. In what way did their disappearance change Australian society? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Douglas MacArthur (1880)MacArthur is a major figure in US military and diplomatic history. He commanded a brigade in France during World War I and was commander of the Philippine military establishment in the late 1930s, but he is best remembered for the vital role he played in the Pacific theater of World War II and for his command of UN forces during the Korean War. Many Americans viewed MacArthur as a hero, but he was suddenly relieved of his post by President Truman at the height of the Korean War for what reason? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Fiddle, n.: An instrument to tickle human ears by friction of a horse's tail on the entrails of a cat.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a fine state of affairs— A situation that has gone wrong and is very problematic. The term is an instance of irony or sarcasm. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 India Republic Day (2023)This holiday is an important national festival in India, celebrating the day in 1950 when India's ties with Britain were severed and the country became a fully independent republic. The holiday is marked with parades and much celebration in all the state capitals, but the festivities in Delhi are especially grand. There is a mammoth parade with military units, floats from each state, dancers and musicians, and fly-overs. Independence Day on August 15 is also a national holiday, but it is observed chiefly with speech-making and none of the grandeur of Republic Day. More... | |