Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, August 4, 2016)Word of the Day | |||||||
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Article of the Day | |
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![]() SonoluminescenceAccidentally discovered in 1934 while scientists were experimenting with sonar, sonoluminescence is the emission of short bursts of light from the implosion of bubbles formed in a liquid medium as sound waves pass through it. Scientists have since theorized that the temperatures inside the bubbles are hot enough to melt steel. In 2001, the first known instance of an animal producing light by sonoluminescence was reported. What creature exhibited such behavior? More... |
This Day in History | |
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![]() The 4th of August Regime Established in Greece (1936)Political instability coupled with economic unrest undermined the Greek government for much of the 1920s and 30s and finally brought parliament to a standstill in 1936. On August 4 of that year, Prime Minister Ioannis Metaxas declared a state of emergency, suspended parliament, and made himself dictator—with the blessing of the king. Though his 4th of August Regime suppressed political opposition, it also carried out beneficial economic and social reforms. What brought the regime to an end? More... |
Today's Birthday | |
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![]() Raoul Wallenberg (1912)In 1944, as Nazi troops rounded up hundreds of thousands of Jews in Hungary, Wallenberg—a Swedish citizen who had previously worked for a company run by a Hungarian Jew—asked to be posted there as a diplomat. Once there, he worked relentlessly to save tens of thousands of Jews by sheltering them on Swedish property and distributing counterfeit Swedish passports. He was arrested by the Soviets in 1945, and his death while in their custody is shrouded in mystery. What might have happened to him? More... |
Quotation of the Day | |
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![]() Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) |
Idiom of the Day | |
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keep a sharp lookout (for something or someone)— To remain vigilant or carefully watchful (for something or someone). More... |
Today's Holiday | |
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![]() 'Ksan Celebrations (2017)On Friday evenings in July and August, dances and accompanying songs are performed by the 'Ksan, or Gitxsan, Indians in a longhouse in the Indian Village in Hazelton, British Columbia, Canada. The dances are said to go back to pre-history; they were revived in 1958, and the 'Ksan dancers have since performed in New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, Kansas City, Missouri, and even Australia. Performers must be Git 'Ksan, meaning "People of the 'Ksan" (named after the nearby Skeena River). More... |
In the News | |
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As Trampoline Parks Jump in Popularity, So Do InjuriesHeather Bottoms' two sons had been asking to go to a local indoor trampoline park for a while, so last September she took them. Her older son, then age 13, was jumping up and down when he bounced off the wall, fell and broke both the bones in one arm. The ... More... |