Historical Events, Birthdays And Quotations

This Day in History

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Conrad of Montferrat was a northern Italian nobleman and one of the major participants in the Third Crusade. In 1189, he joined Guy of Lusignan at the siege of Akko, but a year later he sought to displace Guy as king of Jerusalem. To establish a claim to the crown, he married Isabella, daughter of Amalric I. In 1192, Conrad was acknowledged as king, but a few days later he was assassinated, and the royal title passed to the two later husbands of his widow. Who killed him? Discuss

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

The capital of Sierra Leone, Freetown, was founded on the coast of West Africa by British abolitionists in 1787 as a haven for freed and runaway slaves. It became a British colony in 1808, and the region became a British protectorate in 1896. It achieved independence in 1961 and became a republic 10 years later, but with independence came a series of military coups. An 11-year civil war marked by horrific atrocities further devastated the country and ended in 2002. What has occurred since then?

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Located in central East Africa, Tanzania has been inhabited by humans or their ancestors perhaps longer than any other place on Earth, with hominid fossils discovered there dating back over two million years. The country of Tanzania is a more recent development, forming in 1964 with the merger of two newly independent republics—Tanganyika and Zanzibar. The former leaders of Tanganyika and Zanzibar then became Tanzania's first president and vice president. What is Tanzania's official language?

Word Trivia

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

crest - From Latin crista, "plume, tuft," it first referred to the erect feathers of a plume on a helmet or headdress. More...

panache - Can be a tuft or plume of feathers on a headdress or helmet. More...

coif, coiffure, coiffeur - Coif, coiffure, and coiffeur (hairdo, hairstyle) derive from Latin cofia, "helmet." More...

galeated - Means "shaped like a helmet" or "wearing a helmet." More...

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

asphalt - Its synonyms are mineral pitch, Jews' pitch, and slime. More...

ooze - As in mud or slime, it traces back to an Old Norse word meaning "puddle, stagnant pool," and originally meant juice or sap from a plant or fruit. More...

slime - Related to Latin limus, "mud, slime." More...

mucous, mucus - Mucous is the adjective from Latin meaning "slimy," and mucus is the noun from Latin but cognate with Greek mussesthai, "blow the nose." More...

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

cost-effective - Anything effective and productive in relation to its cost. More...

fecund, fecundation - Fecund is another word for "fertile, fruitful, productive"; fecundation is another word for "fertilization, impregnation." More...

originary - An adjective meaning "causing existence; productive," or "primitive; primary; original." More...

teemful - Fruitful, productive, prolific. More...

Today's Birthdays

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Monroe was the fifth president of the US. After serving in the American Revolution, he was elected to the Senate, where he opposed the administration of George Washington. He nevertheless became Washington's minister to France and later helped to negotiate the Louisiana Purchase. With Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, he developed the principles of US foreign policy later called the Monroe Doctrine. Monroe served two terms as president, presiding in a period that became known as what? Discuss

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Wollstonecraft was an English author who turned to writing while teaching and working as a governess and as a translator for a London publisher. She was an early proponent of educational equality between men and women, and her most important book, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, is widely regarded as the founding document of modern feminism. In 1797, she married the philosopher William Godwin. She died days after the birth of their daughter, who went on to become what famous writer?

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Audubon was a US ornithologist and artist known for his drawings and paintings of North American birds. After failing in business, he concentrated on compiling his extraordinary four-volume Birds of America, published between 1827 and 1838. Though his bird poses are sometimes unrealistic—the result of painting dead birds wired into position—and some details are inaccurate, his studies were fundamental to New World ornithology. How many bird species are featured in Birds of America?

Article of the Day

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Smokejumpers are firefighters who parachute into remote areas to combat forest fires. While smokejumpers save many lives, the inherent risks associated with parachuting into a fire lead many to question the value of the profession. Proponents argue that parachute deployment helps firefighters reach remote areas quickly and with more equipment than other means allow, thus enabling them to begin containing fires at their early stages. Which country employs the largest number of smokejumpers? Discuss

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Wingsuit fliers wear a specialized jumpsuit that shapes the human body into an airfoil, a structure whose shape provides lift, propulsion, stability, and directional control over a flying object. Fabric sewn between the legs and under the arms of the wingsuit allows the flier to glide through the air much like a bird, while a separate parachute allows him to land safely. A British stuntman died wing-diving in 2013, just a year after he parachuted into what high-profile event?

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Despite being the last digit to come into use in the numerical system, the zero plays a central role in mathematics. During the 2nd century CE, Ptolemy began using a small circle with a long bar above it to symbolize zero. Because it was used alone, not just as a placeholder, this Hellenistic zero was perhaps the first documented use of a number zero in the Old World. Four centuries later, an Indian mathematician wrote a book of rules governing the use of the zero. Is zero an odd or even number?

Quotations of the Day

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Sun, 28 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

It is no use trying to sum people up. One must follow hints, not exactly what is said, nor yet entirely what is done. Discuss

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

A fair result can be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts and arguments on both sides of each question.

Fri, 26 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

The power of doing anything with quickness is always prized much by the possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance.