Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, August 12, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Article of the Day | |
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 FolliesIn architecture, a folly is an eccentric, generally nonfunctional and often deliberately unfinished structure erected to enhance a romantic landscape. Follies were particularly popular in England in the 18th and early 19th centuries. They resemble medieval towers, ruined castles overgrown with vines, or crumbling classical temples complete with fallen, eroded columns. In the US, the term has been applied to ornate gazebos. How did the Irish Potato Famine lead to the building of several follies? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Isaac Singer Granted Patent for Sewing Machine (1851)Before the advent of the sewing machine, sewing was a laborious task. Singer's 1851 sewing machine patent made him a very rich man. Several other people laid claim to having invented the sewing machine, notably Elias Howe, who won a lawsuit against Singer for infringement. Nevertheless, Singer's company was already well established and was able to pool its patents with other claimants to avoid litigation. At times, Singer used alternate names to accomplish what scandalous feat? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ross and Norris McWhirter (1925)In 1954, a few years after identical twins Norris and Ross McWhirter founded a London fact-finding agency, they met a director of the Guinness brewing company, Sir Hugh Beaver, who commissioned a compilation of world records that was intended to settle bar-room disputes. The first edition of the McWhirters' Guinness Book of Records was given to bars for free as a marketing gimmick, but the book quickly became a phenomenal success. In 1975, Ross was assassinated. Why? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 He was like a cock who thought the sun had risen to hear him crow.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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quake like a leaf— To tremble violently with fear or nervousness. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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.jpg) The Glorious Twelfth (2021)August 12 is the legal opening of grouse season in Scotland. If the 12th falls on a Sunday, Grouse Day is the following day. Because grouse-shooting has always played such a central role in the life of Scottish gentlemen, the occasion is referred to as the Glorious Twelfth and is observed as a social event by Scots around the world. More... | |