Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, September 3, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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unexampled
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Order of the Solar TempleShrouded in mystery, the Order of the Solar Temple was a secret society founded in 1984 that claimed descent from the original Knights Templar. Though little information about the group has been confirmed, its practices are believed to incorporate elements of Protestantism, new age philosophy, and Freemasonry. In 1994, mass murder-suicides at Solar Temple lodges in Switzerland and Canada left over 100 dead. What artifact did one founder claim he was given in a previous life 1,000 years earlier? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Anne Frank and Family Deported to Auschwitz (1944)Thanks to the poignant and insightful diary she left behind, Anne Frank is one of the most renowned and discussed victims of the Holocaust. Her family emigrated to Amsterdam in 1933 to escape the Nazis but was forced into hiding after the Nazis occupied the Netherlands. Betrayed to the Germans in 1944, the Franks were soon sent to Auschwitz, where they were separated by gender. Later, Anne and her sister were moved to Bergen-Belsen, where both died. Did any members of the Frank family survive? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Diane de Poitiers (1499)As a lady-in-waiting at the French royal court, Diane captivated the man who would become King Henry II of France—though he was 20 years her junior. After the death of her husband, she became Henry's mistress. Following his coronation in 1547, Diane held court as queen in all but name, while the real queen lived in relative obscurity. However, after Henry's 1559 death, she was forced to retire from court. Her death may have been the result of drinking too much gold in an elixir meant to do what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Thou know'st the o'er-eager vehemence of youth,How quick in temper, and in judgment weak. Homer (900 BC-800 BC) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Pchum Ben (2020)The 15-day period known as Pchum Ben in Cambodia is dedicated to rituals for the dead. It occurs during the rainy season when skies are usually overcast, and the darkness seems an appropriate time for Yama, God of the Underworld, to let the souls of the dead visit their families. The traditional offering to the dead consists of ben—special cakes made of glutinous rice mixed with coconut milk and other ingredients—arranged on a platter around a centerpiece and placed on a pedestal. During this time a monk says prayers at the tombs of the dead. More... | |