Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, January 28, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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bowdlerize
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| Article of the Day | |
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 The Dance of the Seven VeilsThough the Dance of the Seven Veils is not mentioned in the biblical account of John the Baptist's death, it has come to be associated with the event in subsequent retellings of the story. King Herod is said to have offered his stepdaughter, Salomé, anything she wanted in exchange for a dance—in which she removed seven layers of clothing. At the prompting of her mother, she demanded the head of John the Baptist after her performance. What Assyrian myth may have inspired the dance? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Lego Patents Its Interlocking Plastic Bricks (1958)The founder of Lego, a Danish carpenter named Ole Kirk Christiansen, began making wooden toys in 1932. By the late 1940s, he had begun making plastic ones, including "automatic binding bricks," which he patented in 1958. Today, Lego produces roughly 20 billion of those bricks annually, and today's pieces are still compatible with the originals. By producing some 306 million miniature, functioning replicas of this item each year, Lego could be considered the world's leading manufacturer of what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Colette (1873)In her highly eventful life, French novelist Colette freely flouted convention and repeatedly scandalized the public, but by her later years, she had become a national icon. Her numerous novels are marked by sensitive observations—particularly of women—and an intimate style. Among her works are The Vagabond, a fictionalized account of her time as a music-hall performer, and Gigi, a comedy about a girl reared to be courtesan. In 1907, she nearly caused a riot by doing what on stage? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 And what he greatly thought, he nobly dared.Homer (900 BC-800 BC) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Charlemagne's Day (2021)Charlemagne wasn't actually a saint at all; he was an emperor and the first ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, crowned in 800 by Pope Leo III. Although he was never able to read and write himself, Charlemagne, whose name means "Charles the Great," founded the University of Paris. In fact, his reign was marked by a huge cultural revival, including significant advances in scholarship, literature, and philosophy. He died on January 28, 814. More... | |