Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, November 12, 2018)Word of the Day | |||||||
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Article of the Day | |
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![]() The Midnight SunThe term "midnight sun" refers to the phenomena of 24 consecutive hours of sunlight north of the Arctic Circle or south of the Antarctic Circle. It occurs around the summer solstice—June 21 in the north and December 22 in the south. The odds of encountering night sunshine increase near either pole. Though beautiful, the midnight sun poses special challenges to people living in these areas, as it disrupts sleep schedules and religious rites based around the setting sun. What is "polar night"? More... |
This Day in History | |
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![]() Remains of Explorer Robert Scott and His Men Are Found in Antarctica (1912)The Scott party reached the South Pole in January 1912 after a grueling two-and-a-half month journey across Antarctica, only to find that another group had beaten them to it weeks earlier. On the return trek, Scott and his entire team died. Seven months later, a search party found their final camp, retrieved Scott's records, and buried the bodies under a cairn of snow. It is now believed that Scott was the last to die. In his final diary entry, written on March 29, Scott makes what request? More... |
Today's Birthday | |
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![]() Juana Inés de la Cruz (1651?)Today considered one of the greatest lyric poets of colonial Mexico, Sor Juana abandoned her life as a favorite at the viceroy's court to join a convent at the age of 16. There, she immersed herself in learning. Criticized by her superiors, she penned a passionate defense of women's education that became a classic. Despite having earned wide acclaim as a poet, she ceased writing publicly under pressure from church officials. Devoted to spirituality in her final years, she died doing what? More... |
Quotation of the Day | |
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![]() Francis Bacon (1561-1626) |
Today's Holiday | |
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![]() Birth of Baha'u'llah (2020)The anniversary of the birth in 1817 of Baha'u'llah, the founder of the Baha'i religion, is a holy day on which work is suspended. Mirza Husayn Ali, later known as Baha'u'llah ("Glory of God"), was born in Tehran, Persia (now Iran). He was an adherent of Islam, and later a follower of the Bab, who founded the Babi faith, an independent messianic religion. Thirteen years after the Bab's execution in 1850, Husayn Ali declared himself the messenger of God, foretold by the Bab. More... |