Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, October 16, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
constellate
| |||||||
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 StonefishFound in the tropics of the Indian and Pacific oceans and in the Red Sea, the stonefish, Synanceia verrucosa, is the world's most venomous fish. Spines lining its dorsal area release a toxin that causes excruciating pain, local swelling, general paralysis, and, eventually, fatal respiratory paralysis. Using its resemblance to a piece of rock to camouflage itself, the carnivorous fish feeds on small fish, shrimp, and other crustaceans. A stonefish can survive out of water for how long? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Olympic Medalists Create Furor with Black Power Salute (1968)The silent protest of two black American athletes at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City was an iconic and controversial statement. Sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos received their medals shoeless to draw attention to black poverty in America, and they performed the Black Power salute as their national anthem played. They were booed by the crowd and were later expelled from the staunchly apolitical games. Smith saluted with his right hand. Why was Carlos forced to salute with his left? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (1888)One of America's greatest playwrights, O'Neill spent his youth as a heavy-drinking, itinerant seaman, then began writing plays while recovering from tuberculosis in 1912. Within a decade, he had won his first of four Pulitzer Prizes. Extremely prolific, he wrote passionate works about tortured family relationships and spiritual conflict, including Long Day's Journey into Night and The Iceman Cometh. Both of his sons committed suicide, and he disowned his daughter for marrying whom? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 A man will tell you that he has worked in a mine for forty years unhurt by an accident as a reason why he should apprehend no danger, though the roof is beginning to sink.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Europalia (2020)Since its founding in 1969, the European arts festival known as Europalia has presented a comprehensive survey of the diverse cultural and artistic aspects of a specific country. The first several festivals were devoted to European cultures, but in 1989 the decision was made to devote the festival to a major culture from outside Europe. Most of the festival events take place in Brussels, which include art, photography, and craft exhibitions; theater, dance, and orchestral performances; literary and scientific colloquia; and film retrospectives. More... | |