Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, December 26, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Article of the Day | |
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 The Naked-Eye PlanetsThe naked-eye planets are the five planets in our solar system that can be observed without any optical aid: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. The five planets closest to Earth, they were the only ones known to the ancients before the development of the telescope. Grouped together with the Sun and the Moon, they form what some cultures call the seven heavenly objects. Ancient cultures' knowledge of the heavens can be seen in the word "planet," which comes from a Greek term meaning what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Soviet Union Officially Dissolves (1991)In December 1991, a series of events spelled the end of the Soviet Union—and each has been put forth as the date the Union truly broke up. On December 8, the presidents of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus declared the Soviet Union dissolved. Two weeks later, on December 21, representatives of most of the remaining Soviet states signed an agreement confirming the dissolution. On December 25, Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev resigned from office. The following day, what final step was taken? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Steve Allen (1921)The son of vaudeville performers, Allen got his start as a comedian on radio in the 1940s before moving to late-night television. He created and hosted The Tonight Show and The Steve Allen Show in the 1950s and appeared in numerous other programs, earning a reputation as the father of TV talk shows. He also composed thousands of songs, wrote more than 50 books, and appeared in films such as The Benny Goodman Story. What famous musician named one of his children after Allen? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends by itself nor by the showing of others; the first is the most excellent, the second is good, and the third is useless.Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Kwanzaa (2020)Kwanzaa is an African-American celebration of family and black culture. Each day is dedicated to one of seven principles: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work and responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity), and imani (faith). Families gather in the evenings to discuss the principle of the day, and then light a black, red, or green candle and place it in a candleholder called a kinara. On the evening of Dec. 31, families join for a feast called the karamu. More... | |