Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, October 29, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
cardiomegaly
| |||||||
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 SarinSarin is a colorless and odorless nerve agent estimated to be more than 500 times as toxic as cyanide. A cholinesterase inhibitor, it effectively causes nerve impulses to be continually transmitted, resulting in a loss of control of bodily functions, suffocation, and death. Discovered in 1938 by German scientists attempting to create stronger pesticides, sarin was mass produced by the German military during World War II. Did the Nazis use sarin against Allied targets? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Sir Walter Raleigh Is Executed for Treason (1618)Raleigh was an English explorer, courtier, and favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, whom he famously—according to the story—protected from a puddle by laying down his cloak. After King James I took the throne, however, Raleigh was accused of plotting against the king, was arrested, and lost many of his offices and monopolies. He was also found guilty, on somewhat insufficient evidence, of conspiring with Spain against England. Raleigh was not actually executed, though, until 1618, after what happened? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Marie of Edinburgh, Queen of Romania (1875)No ordinary queen, Marie took an active role in Romania's wartime activities, beginning with helping bring the country into the Allied camp in World War I and ending with her representation of Romanian interests in territory negotiations at the close of the war. In the interim, the "Soldier Queen" also contributed to the war effort by volunteering as a nurse with the Red Cross and publishing a book whose proceeds went to the same cause. Marie later became the first royal adherent of what faith? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Excellence encourages one about life generally; it shows the spiritual wealth of the world.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
Turkey Republic Day (2017)The Turkish Republic was founded by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk in 1923 after the fall of the Ottoman Empire. Kemal was named the first president on October 29, a full republican constitution was adopted the following April, and all members of the Ottoman dynasty were expelled from the country. The public celebration, which lasts for two days, includes parades, music, torchlight processions, and other festivities in honor of the founding of the republic. The largest parades are held in Ankara and Istanbul. More... | |