Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, July 8, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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gabby
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| Article of the Day | |
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 The RackAn ancient torture device, the rack was used to stretch its victims' joints to the breaking point. A prisoner's hands and feet would be fastened to rollers located at either end of the device's rectangular frame, and during interrogations, a ratchet would gradually increase the tension on the chains. The excruciating torture inspired such terrible fear that some prisoners would confess after merely watching someone else being stretched on the rack. Who were some of the device's famous victims? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 US Air Force Claims to Have Recovered a Flying Disc (1947)On July 8, 1947, an officer at the Roswell Army Air Field in New Mexico announced the recovery of a crashed flying disc, prompting the Roswell Daily Record to proclaim the "capture" of a "flying saucer." The next day, the official story changed—the debris was now simply a weather balloon. The case was ignored until 1978 when supposed witness testimony emerged, shaping the event as an alien encounter. A government investigation discredited this theory, explaining the "aliens" as what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Käthe Kollwitz (1867)Kollwitz was a German Expressionist painter, sculptor, and printmaker whose work centered on human suffering. Her initial focus was the plight of the poor, whom she encountered firsthand at her physician husband's clinic in Berlin. After their son died in World War I, however, Kollwitz channeled her depression into a cycle of prints emphasizing a mother's love and a memorial sculpture of grieving parents. Unfortunately, many of Kollwitz's drawings and prints were lost in 1943 when what happened? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There are some experiences in life which should not be demanded twice from any man, and one of them is listening to the Brahms Requiem.George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Mariposa Folk Festival (2018)This three-day folk music festival is the oldest in Canada, where it has served as a model for many smaller festivals. Since 1961 the festival has presented a broad spectrum of folk music by performers from all over Canada, the United States, Britain, Africa, and Australia. The events are held on the grounds of Tudhope Park in Orillia, Ontario, about 60 miles north of Toronto. The Mariposa Folk Festival helped pioneer the workshop concept, emphasizing the importance of establishing a dialogue between the artist and the audience. More... | |