Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, July 6, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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vibrissa
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Witch HazelWitch hazel refers to a family of trees and shrubs found in Japan, China, and North America. They are deciduous shrubs that usually grow 10-26 ft (3-8 m) tall but can reach 40 ft (12 m). The fruit of the witch hazel is a two-parted capsule, 1 cm long, that bursts in Autumn and shoots seeds up to 33 ft (10 m) away. The plant's hard wood is used in cabinet making, and an astringent is extracted from its bark and leaves. The plant's branches have been used in what form of divination? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Jan Hus Is Burned at the Stake (1415)A Bohemian religious reformer, Hus was excommunicated in 1411 after taking a stand in the power struggle among the three figures claiming to be pope of the Catholic Church. He continued to preach, but his criticism led to a case of heresy against him, and he was invited to the Council of Constance to explain his views. Though promised safe conduct to the council, he was arrested, tried for heresy, and burned at the stake. What seemingly prescient thing did Hus do before traveling to Constance? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 John Paul Jones (1747)One of the greatest heroes of the US Navy, Jones emigrated from Scotland at the start of the American Revolution. In 1779, while commanding the Bonhomme Richard, he engaged the British Serapis in battle. With his ship on fire and sinking, he answered a call to surrender by saying, "I have not yet begun to fight!" Eventually, the crew of the badly damaged Serapis surrendered, and Jones and his men boarded her. Where were Jones's remains—lost for over a century—found in 1905? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A mother is a mother still,The holiest thing alive. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Rath Yatra (2016)Rath Yatra is an outpouring of tens of thousands of pilgrims to honor Jagannath, Lord of the Universe, in Puri in the state of Orissa, India. During the festival, wooden images of Jagannath, his brother, Balbhadra, and his sister, Subhadra, are taken in procession in three huge chariots or carts that look like temples and are called raths. They go from the Jagannath Temple to be bathed at Gundicha Mandir, a temple about a mile away. This is such a popular festival because all castes are considered equal, and everyone has to eat the food prepared by low caste men at the shrine. More... | |