Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, November 9, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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light-minded
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Hanno the ElephantHanno was the pet white elephant of Pope Leo X, a member of the wealthy and powerful Medici family and one of the most extravagant Renaissance pontiffs. Hanno was given to Leo as a gift by King Manuel I of Portugal to commemorate the pope's coronation. A favorite of the papal court, Hanno was featured in processions in Rome. He contracted an illness after just two years there, however, and died in 1516. Hanno was the subject of a satirical pamphlet that helped launch the career of what author? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Napoleon Bonaparte Leads the Coup of 18 Brumaire (1799)The Coup of 18 Brumaire, widely considered the effective end of the French Revolution, made way for the despotism of Napoleon. Planned by French statesmen Emmanuel Sieyès and Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, the coup allowed Napoleon to overthrow the weakened government of the Directory and replace it with the Consulate. The Consulate's executive branch consisted of three consuls, but Napoleon—as first consul—wielded all real power and soon became emperor. What is 18 Brumaire? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Hermann Weyl (1885)A contemporary and onetime colleague of Albert Einstein, Hermann Weyl was a German mathematician whose work on the topics of space, time, matter, philosophy, and symmetry, to name a few, has earned him consideration as one of the most influential 20th-century mathematicians. His research advanced not only the field of mathematics but of theoretical physics as well. While teaching at a Zurich university, Weyl is alleged to have had an affair with the wife of what noted theoretical physicist? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It isn't possible to love and to part. You will wish that it was. You can transmute love, ignore it, muddle it, but you can never pull it out of you. I know by experience that the poets are right: love is eternal.E. M. Forster (1879-1970) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a shiver down (one's) spine— A shudder felt down one's back, due to either fear, anticipation, nervousness, or excitement. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Birthday of Muhammad Iqbal (2022)In Pakistan, November 9 is a national holiday to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal, a famous Pakistani poet and philosopher. Iqbal was born in the city of Sialkot in the Punjab province of Pakistan on November 9, 1877. On this day, a number of functions are held to honor the great poet. Many educational institutions sponsor programs that showcase his life and achievements. In addition to the main function at Iqbal's tomb, the National Museum of Pakistan in Karachi exhibits Iqbal's personal belongings, including his costumes, books, and publications. More... | |