Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, April 4, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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phellem
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| Article of the Day | |
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 The Great Fire of RomeAccording to the historian Tacitus, the Great Fire of Rome started in the shops around the Circus Maximus on July 18 in 64 CE and burned for 5 days. In his account, Tacitus writes that the fire completely destroyed 4 and severely damaged 7 of the 14 Roman districts. Both the size and cause of the fire are debated as well as Emperor Nero's response to the crisis. Some claim he sang or played music while the city burned, and many accused Nero of arson. Nero, in turn, blamed what religious group? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Bodies Found in Unsolved Hinterkaifeck Murders (1922)In 1922, Hinterkaifeck, a small farmstead north of Munich, became the scene of one of the most puzzling unsolved crimes in German history. On the evening of March 31, the farm's six inhabitants, ranging in age from two to 72, were brutally murdered. The perpetrator likely remained at the farm for several days thereafter, but by the time the crime was discovered, he or she had disappeared without a trace. What unexplained events supposedly occurred there in the days leading up to the slaughter? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Dorothea Dix (1802)Dix left an unhappy home at age 10 to live with her grandmother in Boston. By age 14, the resourceful Dix was on her own and working as a schoolteacher. In 1841, while teaching in a Massachusetts prison, Dix saw firsthand the inhumane way that mentally ill prisoners were treated. Appalled, she became a pioneer in the movement for humane treatment of the insane. Her efforts brought about widespread reforms in both the US and Canada. What position did Dix hold during the US Civil War? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 That is one good thing about this world...there are always sure to be more springs.Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Feast of San Isidro of Seville (2018)St. Isidro (c. 560-636), or Isidore, was born in Cartagena, Spain, and eventually became bishop of Seville. In Río Frío, Colombia, April occurs in autumn and is typically very dry. On San Isidro's feast day, April 4, townspeople process the saint's image around the streets in the hope that he will help bring rain. The procession takes two steps forward, then one step backward, and so on, with the idea that if it drags out long enough, some rain may fall before the festivities end. If no rain falls, those who had been singing praises to St. Isidro may begin to insult and swear at him. More... | |