Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, October 11, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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disengage
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| Article of the Day | |
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 SmokeasiesJust as prohibition in the US led to speakeasies—establishments where alcohol was sold in contravention of the law—so too have smoking bans led to smokeasies—businesses, especially bars, that allow smoking despite a legal prohibition. To combat an expected loss of patrons, many bar owners have chosen to openly allow customers to smoke and regard the fines they incur as a cost of doing business. Others, however, employ stealth tactics to avoid penalties. What are some of their covert methods? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Second Boer War Erupts in South Africa (1899)The Boer Wars were fought between the British Empire and Dutch settlers in South Africa, called Boers. The Second Boer War was sparked by the discovery of gold in the Transvaal, a region annexed to Britain but controlled by anti-British statesman Paul Kruger. Tensions rose as the Boer government began limiting the rights of British settlers moving into the region. It has been argued that what method of control now commonly associated with the Nazis was first employed by the British in this war? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Henry Heinz (1844)Heinz was a pioneer in the American food industry. He got an early start in the food business, peddling surplus home-grown vegetables to neighbors by the age of eight. In 1876, he, his brother, and a cousin founded a pickles and condiments company that became the H. J. Heinz Company when he bought them out in 1888. The company's tomato ketchup quickly became a bestseller and remains the most popular ketchup in the US today. Why did Heinz make "57 varieties" his company slogan? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I believe that Virtue shows quite as well in rags and patches as she does in purple and fine linen.Charles Dickens (1812-1870) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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come to a parting of the ways— To separate. To leave someone or something behind, often at a dramatic moment. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 General Pulaski Memorial Day (2022)Count Casimir Pulaski first arrived in America in 1777 to help General George Washington and the Continental Army overthrow the British. It was on October 11, 1779, that the Polish count died while trying to free Savannah, Georgia, from British control. The president of the United States proclaims October 11 as Pulaski Day each year, and it is observed with parades and patriotic exercises in communities in Georgia, Indiana, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. The biggest Pulaski Day parade takes place in New York City on the first Sunday in October. More... | |