Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, July 22, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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convalesce
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Tank DesantUsed by the Soviet Red Army in WWII, tank desant is a military tactic in which foot soldiers ride into battle on top of a tank and then dismount when in close range of the enemy. This helped accelerate the deployment of troops into battle. Before advances in mechanized warfare rendered this tactic obsolete, some tanks were even built with handholds for the soldiers. Despite the fact that this practice left troops dangerously exposed, some felt it was safer than riding inside the tanks. Why? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Pablo Escobar Escapes from His Luxury Prison (1992)By 1989, Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was one of the world's richest men. At the height of his success, his Medellín cartel controlled 80% of the global cocaine market. Even after he was incarcerated, he continued to conduct business from the resort-like Colombian prison that had been built to his specifications. In 1992, in an effort to avoid extradition to the US, Escobar escaped. He was killed by police 16 months later. His intimidation tactic of plata o plomo translates to what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Edward Hopper (1882)Hopper was an American painter who supported himself as a commercial illustrator until he gained recognition in the mid-1920s with his now-iconic scenes of American life. His dramatically lit works often feature still, anonymous figures inside geometric buildings and evoke a haunting sense of isolation that was his hallmark. His famous Nighthawks depicts a mostly empty, brightly lit diner on an otherwise dark, desolate street at night. What was said to be Hopper's favorite thing to paint? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 God is for men and religion is for women.Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Fête de la Madeleine (2020)The Magdalene Festival is observed in St. Baume, a forested region of Provence, France, on the anniversary of the death of Mary Magdalene. Legend has it that, wandering eastward from Les Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, she came to la fôret de la Baume, "the forest of the cave," a grotto where she spent 33 years living on wild roots and berries doing penance for her sins. Thousands of pilgrims have visited la Sainte Baume, the holy cave, since the 13th century. Although July 22 is the most popular pilgrimage date, the shrine is visited throughout the year. More... | |