Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, May 15, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Article of the Day | |
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 TrepanationThe practice of drilling a hole into the skull to expose the dura mater surrounding the brain is an ancient surgical procedure dating back to prehistoric times. It is the oldest surgical procedure for which evidence (in the form of human remains) has been discovered. Modern physicians continue to perform trepanations, though the medical rationale surrounding the surgery has since evolved. Which artist gained notoriety for performing a self-trepanation and then screening a film of the procedure? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 US Department of Agriculture Is Created (1862)US President Abraham Lincoln created the Department of Agriculture, which he referred to as the "people's department," at a time when most Americans were farmers. It played a key role in the survival of many during the Depression, and today it continues to ensure that those in need receive food. It also aids farmers, inspects meat and dairy products, oversees food stamp and school lunch programs, and administers national forests. Before Lincoln, the Agricultural Division was part of what office? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Richard Avedon (1923)A major figure in fashion photography, Avedon studied photography in the US Merchant Marine. He became a regular contributor to Harper's Bazaar in the 1940s and was later was associated with Vogue. Known for his stark, black-and-white portraits of people in unusual poses, Avedon redefined fashion photography as an art form. However, many consider his magnum opus to be what 1985 book documenting something very different from fashion? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 What is a woman? I assure you, I do not know...I do not believe that anybody can know until she has expressed herself in all the arts and professions open to human skill.Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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in virtue of (something)— Due to something; because of something; by reason of something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Dymphna's Day (2017)According to legend, St. Dymphna fled with her priest to Geel, Belgium to escape her pagan father's demand for an incestuous marriage. St. Dymphna came to be known as the patron saint of the insane, and for centuries mental patients were brought to the site of her relics in Geel. Today there is a large, well-equipped sanatorium for the mentally ill in Geel. On May 15 special church services are held and a religious procession moves through the streets carrying a stone from St. Dymphna's alleged tomb—a relic that at one time was applied to patients as part of their therapy. More... | |
| In the News | |
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Look, Ma! No MitochondriaScientists have found a microbe that does something textbooks say is impossible: It's a complex cell that survives without mitochondria. Mitochondria are the powerhouses inside eukaryotic cells, the type of complicated cell that makes up people, other ... More... | |