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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 Times Square Ball Drops for the First Time (1908)In 1904, The New York Times moved its headquarters to what is now known as Times Square. That December, it held a New Year's Eve celebration that proved to be quite popular. A few years later, the newspaper created an illuminated time ball—then a well-known dockside device by which sailors set their ships' clocks—that would fall at midnight. The annual ball-drop outlived both the newspaper's address on the square and the use of time balls in general. What was Times Square's original name? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jerome David "J. D." Salinger (1919)Salinger published his first and only novel, The Catcher in the Rye, in 1951. An immediate success, it generated a cult-like dedication among readers. Though he also released a handful of short story collections, Salinger ceased publishing after 1963 and spent the rest of his life as a recluse in Cornish, New Hampshire. After his death in 2010, rumors swirled that he had left behind a number of finished works. According to one of Salinger's neighbors, how many novels did he complete? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Human life consists in mutual service.Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Feast of St. Basil (2021)New Year's Day and the feast day for Agios Vasilis (St. Basil) are one and the same in Greece and Cyprus, and for all Orthodox Christians. Celebrations begin on New Year's Eve when Agios Vasilis is believed to visit each house. On New Year's Day, a cake called the Vassilopita, or "St. Basil's bread," is ceremoniously sliced, according to varying traditions going back to Byzantine times. A coin has been baked in the cake, and the person finding the coin will be the luckiest member of the family that year. More... | |