Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, January 1, 2019)Word of the Day | |||||||
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dissemble
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Article of the Day | |
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The Battle of CarrhaeFought in 53 BCE, the Battle of Carrhae stopped the Roman invasion of Parthian Mesopotamia. The Romans were led by Marcus Licinius Crassus, who wanted a victory to balance those of his fellow triumvirs Pompey and Julius Caesar. With seven legions—about 44,000 men—but little cavalry, he was defeated in the desert by 10,000 mounted Parthian archers and was killed. His death gave impetus to Caesar's quest for power. The defeat also damaged Roman prestige, especially because of the capture of what? More... |
This Day in History | |
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Frankenstein Is Published (1818)Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus is a gothic novel that spawned a new genre of horror stories. It tells the story of Frankenstein, a scientist who discovers how to bring inanimate matter to life and, in the process, creates a man-monster. When Frankenstein fails to provide a mate to satisfy the creature's human emotions, it seeks revenge. Mary Shelley came up with the idea for the novel while vacationing at the home of what famous poet? More... |
Today's Birthday | |
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Chiune Sugihara (1900)A Japanese diplomat, Sugihara was sent to Kaunas, Lithuania, in the early days of World War II. There, in direct violation of his orders from Tokyo, the consul began issuing transit visas for fleeing Jews. Without such visas, the refugees would not have been permitted to leave the country. In little over a month, he wrote thousands of visas, continuing even as the train removing him from his consulate post pulled out of the station. How did the Japanese government react to his insubordination? More... |
Quotation of the Day | |
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Human life consists in mutual service. Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) |
Idiom of the Day | |
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close the barn door after the horse has bolted— To try to prevent or rectify a problem after the damage has already been done. More... |
Today's Holiday | |
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Oshogatsu (2023)This is the "festival of festivals" in Japan, and it is celebrated for several days. Government offices, banks, museums and most businesses are closed from New Year's Day, a national holiday, through January 3. For weeks before New Year's, people clean house and purchase new clothes for the children. On New Year's Day, it's customary to pray at the household altar and to eat special foods, such as small, round, gooey rice cakes called mochi. Herring roe is eaten for fertility, black beans for health, dried chestnuts for success, and porgy and prawns are omens of happiness. More... |