Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, October 17, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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truculent
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Human EcholocationUsed by some blind people to navigate the world, human echolocation is a technique for establishing the locations and shapes of nearby objects by making sounds and interpreting the echoes that result. Sound-producing methods include tapping a cane, stamping, or making clicking noises with one's mouth. This sort of echolocation can provide blind practitioners with enough information to identify large objects by ear alone. What are some feats that blind people have accomplished using echolocation? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Loyalty Day: Massive Crowd Demands Release of Juan Perón (1945)As secretary of labor and social welfare in the wake of the 1943 revolution in Argentina, Perón enacted a wide range of benefits for workers that earned him a loyal following. In October 1945, he was overthrown in a coup, arrested, and jailed. Mass demonstrations of workers forced his release on October 17, a day now known in Argentina as Loyalty Day. Shortly thereafter, Perón ran for president and was elected by a vast majority in 1946. He was forced into exile in 1955. When did he return? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Pope John Paul I (1912)Born Albino Luciani, Pope John Paul I was the first pope to choose a double name, a moniker that honored his two immediate predecessors, Pope John XXIII and Pope Paul VI. Refusing to have the centuries-old traditional papal coronation, he instead opted for a simplified ceremony. His 33-day papacy was one of the shortest reigns in papal history, resulting in the most recent "Year of Three Popes." Several conspiracy theories surround his death. In what position was his body found? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The popular idea that a child forgets easily is not an accurate one. Many people go right through life in the grip of an idea which has been impressed on them in very tender years.Agatha Christie (1890-1976) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Keene Pumpkin Festival (2020)Every year since 1991, the town of Keene, New Hampshire, has held the Pumpkin Festival, in which tens of thousands of carved and lit pumpkins are displayed on scaffolding standing some 50 feet high. The scaffolding is arranged as walls and as four massive towers, and pumpkins are carved and displayed in rows thereon. In the evening, candles are lit within each pumpkin to form great flickering orange walls that light up the crowds. Related activities include the largest children's costume parade in New England, a pumpkin pie eating contest, and a pumpkin seed spitting contest. More... | |