Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, January 13, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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diggings
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| Article of the Day | |
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 The GadgetWith the discovery of fission in 1939, it became clear to scientists that certain radioactive materials could be used to make a bomb of unprecedented power. In the US, the effort to explore this possibility eventually became the Manhattan Project. After years of research and $2 billion spent acquiring sufficient amounts of the two necessary isotopes, uranium-235 and plutonium-239, scientists tested the first nuclear explosive device, code-named "the Gadget," on July 16, 1945, at what location? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Successful Escape from an Aircraft Using the Ejection Seat (1942)Ejection seats are used in aircraft to quickly propel occupants out in an emergency. Today, they are fired by an explosive charge, but the first ejection seats were powered by compressed air. One of the first aircrafts to be fitted with such a system was the German Heinkel He 280 prototype jet fighter. While testing the He 280 during WWII, pilot Helmut Schenk became the first person to use an ejection seat to make an emergency escape from an aircraft. What went wrong during his test flight? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Horatio Alger, Jr. (1832)Alger was an American author who wrote more than 100 children's books. Highly formulaic, each taught that through honesty, perseverance, and hard work, poor but virtuous lads could prevail in life. Published in 1868, the first of those books, Ragged Dick, was an immediate success. Despite the weaknesses of Alger's writing, his books ultimately sold more than 20 million copies, making him one of the most popular writers of the 19th century. What ended Alger's previous career as a minister? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Nature knows no indecencies; man invents them.Mark Twain (1835-1910) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Knut's Day (2021)The feast day of King Canute (or Knut), who ruled Denmark, England, and Norway in the 11th century, marks the end of the Yuletide season in Sweden. Rather than letting the holidays fade quietly, Swedish families throughout the country hold parties to celebrate the final lighting (and subsequent dismantling) of the Christmas tree. After letting the children eat the cookies and candies used to decorate the tree, and after packing the ornaments away in their boxes, it is customary to hurl the tree through an open window. More... | |