Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, August 16, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Article of the Day | |
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 RiverboardingRiverboarding is a sport in which thrill-seekers—and sometimes even emergency rescuers—lie prone on a specialized board and ride down rivers, through rapids, and over waterfalls using swim fins for propulsion and steering, at times performing tricks. The sport is known as hydrospeed in France, where it is thought to have originated in the late 1970s with river guides riding burlap mailsacks stuffed with life vests. What is the current record for tallest waterfall descended using a riverboard? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Issue of Sports Illustrated Is Published (1954)The first issue of Sports Illustrated—featuring Milwaukee Braves star Eddie Mathews at bat—was published in 1954. The brainchild of Henry Luce, the founder of Time magazine, it became one of the most influential sports magazines in America. Though Sports Illustrated originally covered a wide range of sports, including hunting and yachting, today it focuses on major sports, such as football and baseball. When was the annual swimsuit issue first published? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888)Lawrence was a British adventurer, soldier, and scholar popularly known as Lawrence of Arabia. He learned Arabic while on an archaeological expedition in Mesopotamia, then served in intelligence for the British army in Egypt during WWI. After conceiving a plan to support an Arab rebellion against the Ottoman Empire—a German ally—he joined the Arab forces and became a leader in the revolt, but he failed to achieve the formation of an independent Arab state. What did he later do under false names? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Brains are at a discount in the married state. There is no demand for them, no appreciation even.Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Blessing of the Grapes (2020)In ancient times people in Armenia dedicated their grape harvest to Astrik, the goddess of the hearth, in a New Year celebration called Navasard. Nowadays the festival is associated with the Feast of the Assumption, and is celebrated on the Sunday nearest August 15, which is the feast day. No one is supposed to eat grapes until this day, when a tray filled with them is blessed in the church. Each member of the congregation is given a bunch of grapes as he or she leaves, and parties are held after the church ceremony in homes and in the vineyards. More... | |