Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, March 20, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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quandary
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| Article of the Day | |
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 "La Marseillaise""La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. It was written and composed in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle and became the rallying cry of the French Revolution. Originally known as the "Marching Song of the Rhine Army," it got its present name because it was first sung on the streets of Paris by troops from Marseille. The words of what famous revolutionary song written in 1870 were intended to be sung to the melody of "La Marseillaise"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Ian Ball Attempts to Kidnap Princess Anne (1974)Intending to kidnap Queen Elizabeth II's only daughter and collect a £2 million ransom, Ball attacked Princess Anne's chauffeur-driven limousine as it returned to Buckingham Palace. He shot the chauffeur, two policemen, and a passerby who tried to intervene, but Anne got away with the help of another passerby. Ball was then captured. His victims recovered, and all six who tried to help Anne were awarded medals. What was Anne's famously feisty retort when Ball ordered her out of the car? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (1957)Lee is an American filmmaker whose movies often celebrate the richness of African-American culture and address problems such as racism, sexism, and addiction. He first gained recognition with his New York University graduation film in 1982. He went on to make Do the Right Thing, which focuses on the complexities of interracial relations, and Malcolm X, a biopic about the African-American leader. To prevent the use of his nickname, Lee sought legal action against whom in 2003? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 And the Devil did grin, for his darling sin is pride that apes humility.Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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beer muscles— An inflated notion of one's strength, ego, or bravado due to excess consumption of alcohol (not necessarily beer). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Tunisia Independence Day (2017)Independence Day is a public holiday commemorating a treaty signed on this day in 1956 that formally recognized Tunisia's independence from France. It had been a French colony since the 1880s. More... | |
| In the News | |
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NASA: California Has One Year of Water LeftPlagued by prolonged drought, California now has only enough water to get it through the next year, according to NASA. In an op-ed published Thursday by the Los Angeles Times, Jay Famiglietti, a senior water scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory ... More... | |