Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, January 12, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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miscue
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| Article of the Day | |
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 GaeltachtsIrish Gaelic was made an official language of Ireland in 1921. Although hundreds of thousands of Irish citizens and people of Irish descent have some competence in Irish Gaelic, it is a true community language only for a small number of people on Ireland's western coast in what are called Gaeltachts—an Irish Gaelic term for regions in Ireland where it is spoken as a native language. In what ways has the government attempted to revive Gaelic as the primary language of the country? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Hundreds Killed in Hajj Stampede (2006)About one in four people in the world is Muslim, a demographic that includes more than a billion people. Each Muslim is required to visit Mecca, the Saudi Arabian city of Mohammed's birth, at least once in their lifetime. During the annual pilgrimage, or Hajj, Mecca bears an influx of millions of people. In 2006, during the final day of the requisite Stoning of the Devil ritual, some 350 people were crushed to death in the crowd. What other dangers have pilgrims faced during the Hajj? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ferdinand I, King of the Two Sicilies (1751)Ferdinand became king of Naples in 1759 when his father ascended to the Spanish throne. A weak ruler, he was greatly influenced by his wife, the arguably more capable Maria Carolina of Austria. The execution of her sister, Marie Antoinette of France, induced Ferdinand to fight against the French Revolution. The French then invaded Naples—twice. Ferdinand regained control of Naples and took over Sicily, but his despotism prompted an 1820 insurrection. What secret society influenced the uprising? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There are strings … in the human heart that had better not be vibrated.Charles Dickens (1812-1870) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Hostos Day (2021)Eugenio Maria de Hostos (1839-1903) was a Puerto Rican philosopher and patriot who became a leader of the opposition to Spanish colonial rule in the 19th century. He campaigned for the education of women in Brazil, and his books on law and education triggered reforms in other Latin American countries. He even sponsored the first railroad between Chile and Argentina, across the Andes Mountains. The anniversary of his birth is observed as a public holiday in Puerto Rico on the second Monday in January. More... | |