Historical Events, Birthdays And Quotations

This Day in History

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

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? Discuss

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?

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Written and composed by French army officer Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in 1792, La Marseillaise was adopted in 1795 as France's first anthem. Although it was then banned by Napoleon I, Louis XVIII, and Napoleon III, it was restored as France's national anthem in 1879. The evocative lyrics and recognizable tune of La Marseillaise have led to its use as a revolutionary anthem and have inspired many pieces of classical music and pop culture. What are some examples?

Word Trivia

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

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...

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

dixit - An utterance. More...

affective - Describing the emotional meaning of an utterance. More...

curse - First an utterance of God or other deity. More...

preceding, previous - Preceding means "occurring immediately before the time of the utterance," while previous means "occurring at some time before the utterance." More...

Today's Birthdays

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

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? Discuss

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?

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

After winning an amateur contest at Harlem's Apollo Theater in 1934, Fitzgerald started singing with Chick Webb's big band and soon became its star. She recorded her first hit, "A Tisket-A Tasket," in 1938 and went on to become one of the best-selling vocal recording artists in history and a 14-time Grammy Award winner. In 1960, she made a famous live recording in which she improvised new lyrics to a song after forgetting the original ones. The performance earned her a Grammy. What song was it?

Article of the Day

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

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? Discuss

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?

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

Sambo is a modern martial art and combat sport that was developed to enhance the military's hand-to-hand combat system in the former Soviet Union. In 1938, it was named the official sport of the USSR. Sambo combines a variety of wrestling styles with east Asian martial arts, boxing, and even fencing, from which it derives its parrying and lunging techniques. What does the combat style's name mean?

Quotations of the Day

Sat, 27 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

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. Discuss

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.

Thu, 25 Apr 2024 05:00:00 GMT

As the viper, though it kills with it, does not deserve to be blamed for the poison it carries, as it is a gift of nature, neither do I deserve reproach for being beautiful.