Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, August 23, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Article of the Day | |
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 LadybugsCoccinellidae is a family of about 5,000 beetles known in the US as ladybugs and in the UK as ladybirds. The insect's name originated in the Middle Ages, when it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and called "beetle of Our Lady," likely because Mary was often depicted in a red cloak in early paintings and because the seven spots on the species most common in Europe were associated with her seven joys and seven sorrows. A common myth is that the number of spots on a ladybug’s back indicates what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Freckleton Air Disaster (1944)On the morning of August 23, 1944, an American B-24 bomber aircraft crashed into the village of Freckleton in Lancashire, England, during a fierce storm. The plane hit the Holy Trinity School, three houses, and a snack bar for American servicemen. Fuel from the plane's ruptured fuel tank created an inferno. Of the 61 people killed in the crash and fire, 38 were children. What reportedly widespread belief among the American airmen about British weather may have contributed to the disaster? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ernst Krenek (1900)Krenek was an Austrian-American composer born in Vienna to Czech parents. He studied in Berlin and Vienna and began composing in the 1920s. His 1926 jazz opera, Johnny Strikes Up, was extremely successful and has been translated into many languages. He explored atonal and 12-tone compositions, which lack a definable key. In 1937, Krenek moved to the US, where he became a citizen in 1945. In 1924, he began a short-lived marriage to the daughter of what famous composer? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Trying to stop slanderers' tongues is like trying to put gates to the open plain.Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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.jpg) Rishi Panchami (2020)Hindus devote the day of Rishi Panchami to the Sapta Rishis, the seven seers of Brahma: Bhrigu, Pulastya, Kratu, Pulaha, Marichi, Atri, and Vasistha. An earthenware or copper pitcher filled with water is placed on an altar sanctified with cow dung. The seven seers are then worshipped with betel leaf, flowers, camphor, and lamps. Only fruits are eaten on this day. Rishi Panchami is primarily a women's festival, but men may observe it for the well-being and happiness of their wives. Devi Arundhati, the wife of Rishi Vasistha and a model of conjugal excellence, is also worshipped on this day. More... | |