Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, November 1, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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confluence
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Seattle's Space NeedleAt 605 feet (184 m) tall, the Space Needle is the most recognizable landmark in Seattle, Washington. The tower was built for the 1962 World's Fair and now boasts a rotating restaurant, a gift shop, and an observation deck, which afford views of the Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, and Elliott Bay. The tower can withstand winds of up to 200 mph (322 km/h) and earthquakes up to 9.1 in magnitude. It also has 25 lightning rods. What two design concepts inspired the structure's unique architecture? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Arecibo Observatory Opens (1963)Located near Arecibo, Puerto Rico, the Arecibo Observatory is the site of the world's largest single-aperture telescope. The telescope dish, built into a natural limestone bowl, measures an astonishing 1,000 feet (305 m) in diameter. It is used in radar studies of comets and asteroids, as well as in radio astronomy, to detect and analyze radio waves from space. In what year was the Arecibo message, an attempt to communicate with extraterrestrial life, transmitted from the radio telescope? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Alfred Wegener (1880)Though known during his lifetime for his achievements in meteorology and as a pioneer of polar research, Wegener is today primarily remembered for positing the first detailed theory of continental drift. According to Wegener, the present continents were originally one large landmass that gradually separated and drifted apart. His evidence included the jigsaw lineup of certain continents and paleontological similarities on either side of the Atlantic Ocean. What did he call this supercontinent? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Our happiness depends on wisdom all the way.Sophocles (496 BC-406 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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bon viveur— A connoisseur of food and wine. Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 National Author's Day (2022)The idea of setting aside a day to celebrate American authors came from Nellie Verne Burt McPherson, president of the Bement (Illinois) Women's Club in 1928. In 1949, the day was recognized by the U.S. Department of Commerce. Sue Cole, McPherson's granddaughter, was largely responsible for promoting the observation of National Author's Day after her grandmother's death in 1968. She urged people to write a note to their favorite author on this day to "brighten up the sometimes lonely business of being a writer." More... | |