Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, May 30, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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motley
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| Article of the Day | |
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 The ChekaEstablished by Vladimir Lenin in 1917, the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution, Speculation, and Sabotage, also known as the Cheka, was the first in a succession of Soviet state security organizations. Its troops policed labor camps, ran the Gulag system, put down worker riots, and orchestrated the campaign of repression that came to be known as the "Red Terror." Early Chekists made wearing what apparel fashionable among Western Communists? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Dominican Republic Dictator Rafael Trujillo Is Assassinated (1961)Trujillo was a military strongman who seized control of the Dominican Republic in 1930 and ruled it as a dictator for the next 30 years. He renamed the capital after himself and forced all citizens to join his political party. He brutally suppressed dissent and ordered the infamous 1937 Parsley Massacre, in which up to 30,000 Haitians living near the Dominican border were murdered. In 1961, Trujillo was ambushed and shot to death by seven men. Why was the 1937 massacre named after a garden herb? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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.jpg) Mel Blanc (1908)One of the most prolific voice actors of all time, Blanc began his career in radio. In 1933, he began to work for a daily radio program, for which he created several voices. In 1937, he joined the cartoon department of Warner Brothers. During his 50-year career, he supplied voices in more than 3,000 animated cartoons for hundreds of characters, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, and Woody Woodpecker. Which Looney Tunes character is said to sound closest Blanc's natural voice? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A man that hath no virtue in himself, ever envieth virtue in others; for men's minds will either feed upon their own good, or upon others' evil; and who wanteth the one will prey upon the other.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Kallemooi (2020)Observed in the North Coast Islands of the Netherlands, the custom known as Kallemooi represents the fishermen's welcome to spring. A tall pole with a transverse arm near the top is erected in the center of the village. A live cock is suspended in a basket from the apex of the crosspiece. It is decorated at the top with the Dutch flag, a green branch, and a placard bearing the word "Kallemooi." For three days and three nights before Pentecost, or Whitsunday, people feast, make merry, and play Whitsun games. After the fun is over, the rooster is released and returned to its owner. More... | |