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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 Dutch East India Company Established (1602)Chartered by the parliament of the Netherlands to expand trade and assure close ties between the government and its colonial enterprises in Asia, the Dutch East India Company was the world's first multinational corporation. It had quasi-governmental powers, including the ability to wage war, and wrested control of the Spice Islands trade from Portugal. However, it was plagued by corruption and insolvency in the late 18th century and was dissolved. What issues contributed to its decline? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Burrhus Frederic "B.F." Skinner (1904)Forgoing his early goal of being a writer, Skinner earned his doctorate in psychology at Harvard, where he later spent much of his teaching career. A leading exponent of the behavioral approach to psychology, Skinner maintained that learning occurs as a result of an organism responding to, or operating on, its environment, a phenomenon he called operant conditioning. Skinner did extensive research with animals and, during WWII, worked for the US government training what animal to guide missiles? 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) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Nowruz (Iranian New Year) (2018)The first day of spring (nowruz means "new day") is celebrated by all religious groups in Iran and Afghanistan. In Iran, Nowruz is an event lasting 13 days, during which people wear new clothes, give gifts, and visit friends and relatives. Banquet tables traditionally hold seven foods starting with the letter S. Plates with sprouting wheat symbolize fertility, as do eggs, which are colored. Other symbols are a mirror, candlesticks, and a bowl of water with a green leaf in it. The 13th day after Nawruz is Sizdah-Bedar, and everyone picnics in the country or on rugs in city parks. More... | |