Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, July 17, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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firmament
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| Article of the Day | |
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SzczerbiecThe sole surviving piece of the original Polish crown jewels, the Szczerbiec—or "Notched Sword"—is the ceremonial sword that was used to crown Polish kings from 1320 to 1764. Legend states that it was given by an angel to King Boleslaw, who chipped it on the gates of Kiev in 1018, yet the sword only dates to the 13th century, raising questions about the veracity of the tale. Looted by Prussian troops in 1795, the sword was not returned until 1928. Why is there a slit on its blade below the hilt? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 "Wrong Way" Corrigan Flies from New York to Ireland (1938)In 1938, American aviator Douglas "Wrong Way" Corrigan made his infamous, unauthorized transatlantic flight from New York to Ireland. He claimed that during a planned flight to California, foggy conditions and a misread compass made him fly thousands of miles in the wrong direction without noticing. In the years leading up to his "navigational error," he had applied several times for permission to make the transoceanic trip, but was always rejected. How was he punished for his actions? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 James Cagney (1899)After cutting his teeth on stage as a vaudeville and Broadway song-and-dance man, Cagney established himself as the quintessential gangster in the 1931 film The Public Enemy. He continued to play thugs in films like Angels with Dirty Faces and White Heat and won an Oscar for his performance in Yankee Doodle Dandy. He had a passion for farming and died on his secluded farm in 1986. In 1981, he broke a 20-year retirement to appear in one of his last films. What was it? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 We all have our own life to pursue, our own kind of dream to be weaving, and we all have the power to make wishes come true, as long as we keep believing.Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 British Open (2020)The British Open is the oldest and one of the most prestigious international golf championship tournaments in the world. It began in 1860 at the then 12-hole Prestwick course in Scotland and is now rotated among select golf courses in England and Scotland. The Open has a special cachet for golfers since Scotland is considered, if not the birthplace of golf, the place where it developed into its present form played with ball, club, and hole. The game may actually have originated in Holland, where they called it kolven, but golf in Scotland goes back before 1457. More... | |