Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, May 18, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Towers of SilenceAccording to Zoroastrian tradition, a dead body is unclean and must be disposed of in a safe manner. To prevent the pollution of earth or fire, dead bodies are placed atop a tower, where they are exposed to the sun and birds of prey. The towers are circular raised structures with nearly flat roofs that are divided into three concentric rings; one ring is designated for the bodies of men, one for women, and one for children. Who coined the term "tower of silence"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Bath School Bombing (1927)Over the course of several months leading up to May 18, 1927, disgruntled school board member Andrew Kehoe hid hundreds of pounds of explosives inside the Bath Consolidated School in Bath Township, Michigan. That day, after destroying his farm—which was slated for foreclosure—he detonated the explosives inside the school and set off a bomb in his vehicle. The massacre is considered the deadliest act of mass murder in a school in US history. How many people were killed? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Gertrude Käsebier (1852)Käsebier was one of the most influential American photographers of the early 20th century and a promoter of photography as a career for women. She photographed famous figures like the sculptor Auguste Rodin and American showman Buffalo Bill, but she is best known for her evocative images of motherhood and portraits of Native Americans. In 1899, Alfred Stieglitz declared her "the leading artistic portrait photographer of the day," but a decade later, he was speaking out against her work. Why? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is a melancholy truth that even great men have their poor relations.Charles Dickens (1812-1870) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Haiti Flag and University Day (2018)National unity is a primary theme of Flag and University Day in Haiti, an independence celebration and an occasion to recognize the country's educational system. Flag Day became an annual celebration shortly after Catherine Flon sewed the first red and blue flag in 1803, a year before Haiti won its independence from France. The government incorporated University Day as part of the celebration in 1919. Haitians wave flags throughout the day's parades and fairs, which take place throughout Haiti as well as in New York and Miami, two cities with large Haitian communities. More... | |