Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, September 7, 2015)Word of the Day | |||||||
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witless
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Article of the Day | |
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![]() Piazza San MarcoSt. Mark's Square, or Piazza San Marco, is Venice's principal plaza. Originating in the 9th c as a small area in front of St. Mark's Basilica, the Piazza was enlarged to its present shape and size in 1177. As Venice's central gathering place, it is extremely popular with tourists, pigeons, and photographers. The Piazza is surrounded by a number of historic structures, including the Doge's Palace, Procuraties, and Biblioteca Marciana. What was the purpose of the paved pattern on the Piazza floor? More... |
This Day in History | |
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![]() Tupac Shakur Is Shot (1996)In 1996, Shakur, an American rap star and actor, was fatally wounded in a drive-by shooting while stopped at a red light on the Las Vegas strip. He died six days later. The 25-year-old Shakur had been involved in a violent rivalry between the East and West Coast rap scenes and had survived another shooting less than two years earlier. His killer has never been identified. However, some suspect that it was a man who had been in a public altercation with Shakur hours before the shooting—who? More... |
Today's Birthday | |
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![]() Jacob Lawrence (1917)Lawrence was a leading black artist who portrayed African-American life, experience, and history with vivid, stylized realism. He was only in his twenties when his series depicting the migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North thrust him into the national spotlight. His use of somber browns and black for shadows and outlines in an otherwise vibrant palette lends his work a distinctive overtone, as does his flat painting style. Where can one view his last public work? More... |
Quotation of the Day | |
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![]() Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) |
Today's Holiday | |
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![]() Skipjack Races and Land Festival (2020)A skipjack is a kind of sail-powered fishing boat that was popular in the 19th century. Around the turn of the 20th century, more than 1,000 skipjacks worked the waters off Deal Island, Maryland. By 1960, only 40 remained. It was then that local enthusiasts revived the skipjack races, which dated back to 1871, for Labor Day weekend. People from all over the state come to Deal Island harbor on that weekend to cheer on the skippers of these traditional craft and to honor the contribution that the fishing industry has made to the region's history. More... |