Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, January 13, 2018)Word of the Day | |||||||
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sibylline
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Article of the Day | |
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Improvised Explosive DevicesFabricated from all manner of munitions and triggering mechanisms—both military and nonmilitary—improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are bombs that are deployed using methods other than those of conventional military action. Though IEDs have been used in conflicts throughout the world, the term is now commonly associated with the Iraq War due to the extensive use of such devices by insurgents. During the Vietnam War, what common household items were used in conjunction with grenades to form IEDs? More... |
This Day in History | |
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First Successful Escape from an Aircraft Using the Ejection Seat (1942)Ejection seats are used in aircraft to quickly propel occupants out in an emergency. Today, they are fired by an explosive charge, but the first ejection seats were powered by compressed air. One of the first aircrafts to be fitted with such a system was the German Heinkel He 280 prototype jet fighter. While testing the He 280 during WWII, pilot Helmut Schenk became the first person to use an ejection seat to make an emergency escape from an aircraft. What went wrong during his test flight? More... |
Today's Birthday | |
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Wilhelm Wien (1864)German physicist Wilhelm Wien is noted for his work on hydrodynamics, X-rays, and the radiation of light, but it was his work on blackbody radiation that set him apart in the field. In 1893, he derived a law that relates the maximum emission of a blackbody to its temperature. In 1911, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in recognition of his "discoveries regarding the laws governing the radiation of heat." His work contributed significantly to the development of what branch of physics? More... |
Quotation of the Day | |
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But what is Government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature? James Madison (1751-1836) |
Idiom of the Day | |
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15 minutes of fame— A brief period of celebrity or notoriety. The term was coined by artist Andy Warhol. More... |
Today's Holiday | |
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Togo National Liberation Day (2023)On January 13, 1967, Togo president Nicolas Grunitzky was overthrown by Gnassingbé Eyadema, who remained president of Togo until 2005. He was succeeded by his son, Faure Gnassingbé. To celebrate National Liberation Day, the Togo military joins with civilian bands to mount several colorful parades in the city of Lomé. Dissident groups have long opposed the celebrations, noting that January 13, 1963, saw the assassination of the nation's first president, Sylvanus Olympio. In 2008, President Gnassingbé called for an end to the public celebrations on National Liberation Day. More... |