Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, January 31, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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trounce
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Speed SkatingAlthough the first organized speed skating competitions were held around the 1860s, the fast-paced sport was not added to the Olympics until the early 20th century. Today, two types of tracks are used in international competition: the long track, on which two skaters race simultaneously, and the short track, on which four to six skaters race during a heat. Top skaters can reach speeds of 37 mph (60 km/h) over short distances. How has the development of body suits impacted the sport? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Nauru, World's Smallest Island Nation, Gains Independence (1968)Annexed by Germany in 1888, controlled by Great Britain since World War I, occupied by Japan during World War II, and administered by Australia until the late 1960s, the tiny, phosphate-rich island of Nauru flourished in the years following its independence. However, after the island exhausted its primary phosphate reserves, living conditions deteriorated. Today, it has a 90 percent unemployment rate, and much of the island is uninhabitable. What percent of Nauruan citizens are obese? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 William Charles Lunalilo (1835)The shortest-reigning monarch in Hawaiian history, Lunalilo was unanimously elected by the legislature after the death of Kamehameha V, who had declined to name an heir. Just 13 months later, the similarly heirless Lunalilo died of alcoholism and tuberculosis. His goal of a more democratic Hawaii had earned him the nickname "the People's King," and he was buried in a common cemetery rather than in the royal mausoleum. What was his reward for having composed Hawaii's first national anthem? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 We are children of a large family, and must learn, as such children do, not to expect that our hurts will be made much of—to be content with little nurture and caressing, and help each other the more.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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.jpg) St. Paul Winter Carnival (2021)This 10-day winter festival was established in 1886 in response to a newspaper story that described St. Paul, Minnesota, as "another Siberia, unfit for human habitation." A group of local businessmen set out to publicize the area's winter attractions, and the first winter carnival featured an Ice Palace in St. Paul's Central Park. Since that time, an entire legend has developed about the founding of St. Paul and is reenacted each year. Other highlights include ice golf, skating, skiing, sled dog races, softball on ice, ice carving and snow sculpture contests, and a parade. More... | |