Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, August 8, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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protuberant
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| Article of the Day | |
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.jpg) The Montgolfier BrothersAfter discovering that heated air in a lightweight bag would cause the bag to rise, French brothers Joseph-Michel and Jacques-Étienne Montgolfier invented a contraption that would come to be known as the hot-air balloon. In 1783, they held the first public demonstration of their invention and, just months later, the first manned free flight. Before humans were sent up in the balloon, a test flight was made using three animals: a sheep, a duck, and a rooster. Why were these animals chosen? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Great Train Robbery (1963)On the night of August 7, 1963, a postal train left Glasgow with a High Value Package (HVP) coach containing registered mail and a large sum of money. Before dawn the next morning, the driver sighted a red signal and, not knowing that the light had been tampered with, brought the train to a halt as was protocol. Fifteen robbers descended on the train, attacking the train's operators, restraining the postal workers in the HVP coach, and making off with £2.6 million. Were the robbers ever caught? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac (1902)Dirac was an influential English mathematician and theoretical physicist. In 1928, he published a version of quantum mechanics taking into account the theory of relativity. His theory predicted an antiparticle to the electron, and, in 1932, the positron was discovered. That year, Dirac was appointed to the same University of Cambridge chair once held by Isaac Newton. Likely autistic, Dirac was known for his precise nature and literal view of the world. How did he once introduce his wife? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The world is a looking-glass, and gives back to every man the reflection of his own face. Frown at it, and it will in turn look sourly upon you; laugh at it and with it, and it is a jolly kind companion; and so let all young persons take their choice.William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Eisteddfod (2020)The Royal National Eisteddfod of Wales dates back to the 12th century. Its purpose is to encourage the preservation of Welsh music and literature, and only those who sing or write in Welsh may enter. The annual event opens with the blowing of trumpets, followed by all kinds of musical and literary contests—harp playing, solo and choral singing, dramatic presentations, and poetic composition. The National Eisteddfod is held in northern Wales one year and southern Wales the next. Other Eisteddfodau are held in Welsh communities elsewhere from May to November. More... | |