Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, January 22, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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yesteryear
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| Article of the Day | |
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 SuperfluidWith the lowest melting and boiling points of any known substance, helium—alone among the elements—will not solidify even as its temperature approaches absolute zero. Instead, it takes on extremely unusual physical properties, as physicists discovered in 1937. It becomes a superfluid. With zero entropy, zero viscosity, and extremely high thermal conductivity, superfluid helium can overcome friction to climb out of an open jar. What does superfluid helium do if placed in a rotating container? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Bloody Sunday: Massacre in St. Petersburg (1905)The Russian Revolution of 1905 began on Bloody Sunday, when Czar Nicholas II's troops killed and wounded hundreds of unarmed, peaceful demonstrators marching toward the Winter Palace. The protesters, organized by Georgy Gapon, a Russian Orthodox priest, were going to present the czar with a petition for an eight-hour workday, improved working conditions, and fair wages, when troops opened fire on them. Gapon was killed soon after. How was his friend Pinhas Rutenberg involved in his death? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Bruno Kreisky (1911)Kreisky was an Austrian statesman who helped negotiate the treaty that restored Austrian independence and neutrality in 1955 and who became chancellor of Austria in 1970, retaining the office until 1983. As chancellor, he increased Austria's role in world affairs and presided over a growing economy. He instituted many liberal reforms, such as the decriminalization of homosexuality and abortion. The chancellor, who had Jewish roots, stirred up controversy by appointing whom to his cabinet? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The finest language is mostly made up of simple unimposing words.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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crushing blow— A major defeat or setback that is devastating to the goals of a person, group, or organization. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Vincent's Day (2023)São Vicente St. Vincent of Saragossa is the patron saint of Lisbon, Portugal. In Lisbon, people celebrate his feast day with processions and prayers. But in the surrounding rural areas, there are a number of folk traditions associated with this day. Farmers believe that by carrying a resin torch to the top of a high hill on January 22, they can predict what the coming harvest will be like. If the wind extinguishes the flame, the crops will be abundant; if the torch continues to burn, a poor growing season lies ahead. More... | |