Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, December 26, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Article of the Day | |
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 The CrinolineCrinoline is a stiff fabric made with cotton warp and horsehair. By the 1850s, the term was being applied to a large, steel-framed underskirt used to give skirts a fuller shape. This sort of crinoline enjoyed widespread popularity for over a decade despite the fact that it could endanger one’s life. It is believed that a number of women burned to death in part because their crinolines made their garments more flammable. How, according to legend, did a crinoline save the life of one jilted lover? 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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 Though home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit answered to, in strongest conjuration.Charles Dickens (1812-1870) | |
| 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... | |