Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, November 19, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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sundry
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| Article of the Day | |
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 The Carnival of BaselAt precisely 4 AM on the Monday after Ash Wednesday, all of the lights in the town of Basel, Switzerland, are turned off, and the city is lit only by decorative lanterns that are carried or worn on the heads of those gathered for the start of Basler Fasnacht—the Carnival of Basel. For the next 72 hours, thousands of costumed revelers, or Fasnächtlers, enjoy the parades and music of Switzerland's biggest carnival. Why is the use of multicolored confetti frowned upon at the carnival? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Operation Uranus Begins (1942)In the summer of 1941, a wave of German forces swept into the Soviet Union and proceeded to conquer a vast amount of territory. Stopped at Stalingrad, the Germans became mired in one of the most significant battles of WWII and were ill-prepared for the deteriorating Soviet weather. The enormous Soviet counteroffensive, code-named Operation Uranus, overwhelmed them. Within days, their entire force at Stalingrad was encircled. What nearly delayed the artillery bombardment that began the offensive? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Mikhail Vasilyevich Lomonosov (1711)With an extraordinarily broad education, Lomonosov became a prominent figure of 18th-century Russia in many capacities. He was a poet, a language reformer, a chemistry professor, and founder of Moscow State University. He created the first colored-glass mosaics in Russia. He designed a telescope and hypothesized the presence of an atmosphere on Venus. He cataloged more than 3,000 minerals and explained the origin of icebergs. His experiments in physics contradicted what commonly accepted theory? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 To be different from your fellow creatures is always a misfortune.L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Equal Opportunity Day (2020)At the dedication of the Gettysburg National Cemetery in southern Pennsylvania on November 19, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. This 270-word speech is considered one of the greatest in American history. Equal Opportunity Day is observed at Gettysburg National Cemetery each year, where ceremonies commemorating Lincoln's address are held under the sponsorship of the Sons of Union Veterans and the Lincoln Fellowship of Pennsylvania. Sometimes this day is referred to as Gettysburg Address Day. More... | |