Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, October 16, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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contentious
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Eusapia PalladinoBorn in Italy in 1854, Palladino was a Spiritualist medium who travelled the world hosting séances at which tables seemed to levitate and spirits supposedly appeared. Many notable people—including Pierre Curie and Arthur Conan Doyle—became devotees of her. Despite performing under strict conditions that she could control, Palladino was repeatedly exposed as a fraud who pulled stunts like lifting tables with her feet. This prompted some to hold down her shoes during séances. What did she do then? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 World Food Day (1981)More than 150 countries celebrate World Food Day every year on October 16, the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. World Food Day aims to heighten public awareness of the world food problem and to promote cooperation in the struggle against hunger, malnutrition, and poverty. It has been observed since 1981 with different themes each year, such as "United against Hunger" and "The Right to Food." What was the theme of the first World Food Day? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 David Ben-Gurion (1886)Ben-Gurion was one of the founders of the state of Israel and its first prime minister. Born in Russian Poland, he immigrated to Palestine—then part of the Ottoman Empire—at the age of 20 hoping to fulfill the Zionist aspiration of building a Jewish state in historic Israel. He was a founder and leader of the Mapai labor party and an early leader of the trade union Histadrut. What was Ben-Gurion's stance on the King David hotel bombing perpetrated by the Irgun Zionist group? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 As a man without forethought scarcely deserves the name of a man, so forethought without reflection is but a metaphorical phrase for the instinct of a beast.Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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cross (one's) palm— To pay someone, often as a bribe. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Europalia (2022)Since its founding in 1969, the European arts festival known as Europalia has presented a comprehensive survey of the diverse cultural and artistic aspects of a specific country. The first several festivals were devoted to European cultures, but in 1989 the decision was made to devote the festival to a major culture from outside Europe. Most of the festival events take place in Brussels, which include art, photography, and craft exhibitions; theater, dance, and orchestral performances; literary and scientific colloquia; and film retrospectives. More... | |