Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, December 22, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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elephantine
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| Article of the Day | |
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 District HeatingJust as electricity can be generated at a central location and then distributed to customers, heat can be produced at a central plant using geothermal, nuclear, or solar energy and then sent out to customers to warm their homes and businesses. The heat is distributed by means of insulated pipes that carry water or steam. District heating is one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly methods of heating. What country heats approximately 95 percent of its houses using district heating? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Lincoln Tunnel Opens to Traffic (1937)About 120,000 vehicles pass under the Hudson River by way of the 1.5-mile (2.4-km) Lincoln Tunnel every day. A vital link between New York's Manhattan borough and Weehawken, New Jersey, the tunnel was constructed under the supervision of civil engineer and underwater tunnel pioneer Ole Singstad. The first two-lane tube opened in 1937, with two others opening in 1945 and 1957. To accommodate rush-hour traffic patterns, lanes can be reversed. How much was the original fare when the tunnel opened? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Edwin Arlington Robinson (1869)Considered by some to have been the best American poet of his time, Robinson is now primarily remembered for his short poems about the lives—mostly tragic—of people in a small New England village. He briefly attended Harvard but had to drop out after his father's death and thereafter endured years of poverty and obscurity before his poetry was noticed. A quiet, introverted man, Robinson never married and became legendary for his reclusiveness. Why did he have no name until he was six months old? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Irreverence is the champion of liberty and its only sure defense.Mark Twain (1835-1910) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Zimbabwe National Unity Day (2020)Begun in 1997, National Unity Day celebrates the coming together of Zimbabwe's two political parties, the Zanu-PF and PF Zapu (one representing the Shona-speaking and the other the Ndebele-speaking peoples). Among the celebrations to mark National Unity Day are a number of sporting events, including a soccer championship in which the winning team receives the Unity Cup. In the city of Masvingo, the general public and leading political figures gather at the Great Zimbabwe National Monuments for a concert featuring a number of popular singers and musicians. More... | |