Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, December 11, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Freeway RevoltsFollowing World War II, developed nations such as the US and Canada underwent rapid suburbanization. In response, governments planned massive road-building projects. However, many of the projects entailed destroying or dividing neighborhoods, and in the 1960s and 70s, some residents began to resist them. Due to public opposition, many projects were canceled—occasionally resulting in abandoned stretches of unfinished roadway that remain unused today. Where are some of these "roads to nowhere"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Last Manned Lunar Landing (1972)With the Apollo program drawing to a close, the astronauts of Apollo 17 knew that it would be some time before anyone returned to the Moon. Hours after the mission's launch, the astronauts snapped the famous "Blue Marble" photograph of a fully illuminated Earth. Days later, they landed on the Moon. On their three moonwalks, they explored miles of the Taurus-Littrow region, collected rock samples, and set up equipment for remote data collection. Who was the last person to walk on the Moon? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Kamehameha V (1830)After Kamehameha V succeeded his brother as king of Hawaii in 1863, he tried to restore the old tribal ways. He proclaimed a new constitution that restored power to the monarch, weakened the legislature, and restricted suffrage. He even refused to allow the sale of alcohol. Under his reign, the influence of American missionaries waned rapidly. On his 42nd birthday, he died without an heir, bringing the Kamehameha dynasty to an end. How did Mark Twain describe the king during his stay in Hawaii? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Enthusiasm, n.: A distemper of youth, curable by small doses of repentance in connection with outward applications of experience.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 First Night of Hanukkah (2020)Hanukkah commemorates the successful rebellion of the Jews against the Syrians in the Maccabean War of 162 BCE, but the military associations are played down. What is really being celebrated is the survival of Judaism. Jewish families today celebrate this holiday by lighting a special Hanukkah menorah, a candelabrum with holders for eight candles, one for each day of celebration, plus a ninth, the shammash, used to light the others. A special prayer is recited during the lighting, and while the candles burn it is a time for songs and games, including the four-sided toy called the dreidel. More... | |