Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, January 17, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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palaver
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Water MusicIn 1712, George Frideric Handel took up permanent residence in England, leaving his employer—the elector of Hanover—behind in Germany. Two years later, the elector of Hanover became George I of England. When the king requested music for royal festivities, Handel wrote Water Music, allegedly to regain the king's favor. Water Music debuted on a barge accompanying the king down the River Thames in 1717. What did George I think of Handel's now-famous collection of songs? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 US Supreme Court Declares Home VCRs Legal (1984)After Sony introduced the Betamax home video tape recorder in the mid-1970s, Universal Studios sued, alleging that Betamax facilitated copyright infringement by allowing users to make copies of television programs. After an eight-year legal battle, the US Supreme Court ruled that using the new technology to "time-shift" one's television viewing constituted fair use. By then, Betamax had been eclipsed by the VHS format. What later case concerned the "space-shifting" of media? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Benjamin Franklin (1706)Regarded as one of the most extraordinary public servants in American history, Franklin was also a printer, publisher, author, scientist, and inventor. After gaining popularity as the publisher of Poor Richard's Almanack, he promoted public services in Philadelphia, including a library and a fire department. In 1776, he went to France to seek aid for the American Revolution, and in 1787 he was instrumental in the adoption of the US Constitution. What musical instrument did he invent? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Feast of St. Anthony the Abbot (2021)St. Anthony the Abbot was one of the earliest saints, and, if St. Athanasius's biography of him is correct, Anthony lived more than 100 years (251–356). He eventually came to be regarded as a healer of animals as well as of people. His feast day is celebrated in Mexico and other parts of Latin America by bringing household pets and livestock into the churchyard, where the local priest blesses them with holy water. All the animals are carefully groomed and often decorated with ribbons and fresh flowers. In some Latin American cities, the Blessing of the Animals takes place on a different day—often on Holy Saturday, the day before Easter. More... | |