Historical Events, Birthdays And Quotations

This Day in History

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

The 1920 armed robbery and murder trial of the young Italian immigrants Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti was one of the most controversial in US history. Though some believed the verdict was just, others argued that the two men were innocent and were only found guilty because they were immigrants and political radicals. Their defenders waged a fierce legal and public relations battle to save the men's lives, but they were executed in 1927. What declaration about the verdict was made in 1977? Discuss

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

The Battle of Bosworth Field was the penultimate battle of the Wars of the Roses in which Henry Tudor defeated the royal forces of Richard III, the last king of the House of York. Richard was killed in battle, and Henry advanced to London and was crowned as Henry VII. In 1486, Henry married Edward IV's daughter, Elizabeth, thus uniting the houses of York and Lancaster, ending the Wars of the Roses and founding the Tudor royal dynasty. This battle is featured in which of Shakespeare's plays?

Wed, 21 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

In 1911, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa disappeared from the Louvre and was believed to be lost forever. Two years later, former Louvre employee Vincenzo Peruggia was caught trying to sell the masterpiece to a gallery owner in his native Italy. It turned out that Peruggia had stolen the painting by hiding in a closet, waiting until the museum had closed, taking it down, and simply walking out with it hidden under his coat. How much time did Peruggia serve in jail for his crime?

Word Trivia

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

nap - A pretend hit or strike in a theatrical performance. More...

teasel - A tool for raising the nap of something. More...

crushed velvet - Has its nap pointing in different directions in irregular patches. More...

nap - As in a short sleep, it comes from Old English hnappian, "to sleep lightly." More...

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

chortle - Probably a blend of chuckle and snort, coined by Lewis Carroll. More...

frump - Also means a snort or a sneer or jeer. More...

snore, snort - Like snort, which originally meant "snore," snore is from a Germanic base imitative of the sound. More...

whoofle - To snort, gurgle, or snuffle. More...

Wed, 21 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

focaccia bread - Italian for "bread baked in the hearth." More...

fuel - Traces back to Latin focalis, "hearth." More...

scar - Traces back to Greek eskhara, "hearth" or "scab." More...

hearth - The floor of a fireplace as well as the area in front. More...

Today's Birthdays

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Kelly was an American dancer, choreographer, actor, and movie director. After training at his mother's dance school in Pittsburgh, he moved to New York in 1938 and danced in Broadway musicals. His athletic style later became a hallmark of the movie musical. His most famous performance came in Singin' in the Rain, which he also helped choreograph and direct. His achievements earned him a special Academy Award in 1952. With what animated character did Kelly dance in Anchors Aweigh? Discuss

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Deng was a Chinese revolutionary and government leader. A veteran of the Long March, he became deputy premier in 1952 and soon joined the Politburo Standing Committee. He was ousted and reinstated several times and at one point was assigned to work in a tractor factory. From the late 1970s until his death in 1997, he was China's most powerful leader. He promoted a wide-reaching reform program that introduced free-enterprise elements into the economy. What was Deng's famous saying about a cat?

Wed, 21 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Christopher Robin Milne was the son of author A.A. Milne. When Christopher was a young child, his father wrote poetry for him, which grew into the collections When We Were Very Young and Now We Are Six. Later, Christopher and his toy animals were incorporated into stories about the adventures of the now-classic characters Christopher Robin, Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and Eeyore in Winnie-the-Pooh. How did Christopher feel about his name being used in his father's stories?

Article of the Day

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Coccinellidae is a family of about 5,000 beetles known in the US as ladybugs and in the UK as ladybirds. The insect's name originated in the Middle Ages, when it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and called "beetle of Our Lady," likely because Mary was often depicted in a red cloak in early paintings and because the seven spots on the species most common in Europe were associated with her seven joys and seven sorrows. A common myth is that the number of spots on a ladybug’s back indicates what? Discuss

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

The crowning work of Khmer architecture, Angkor Wat is a temple complex in northwestern Cambodia. About 1,700 yards (1,550 m) long by 1,500 yards (1,400 m) wide, it is the world's largest religious structure. It was built in the 12th century by Suryavarman II as his state temple and dedicated to the Hindu god Vishnu. The structure consists of a rising series of towers and courtyards surrounded by a vast moat and culminating in a 213-ft (65-m) central tower shaped like the bud of what flower?

Wed, 21 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Coronation is the ceremony of crowning and anointing a sovereign on his or her accession to the throne. In Europe, the addition of Christian rites to coronations helped alter the concept of kingship and endow rulers with a degree of priestly and possibly even divine character. In 1804, Napoleon I brought Pope Pius VII to Paris to crown him in Notre Dame cathedral, but, in a famous episode, he seized the crown from the pope's hands and crowned himself. What other monarchs have crowned themselves?

Quotations of the Day

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Fri, 23 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

Trying to stop slanderers' tongues is like trying to put gates to the open plain. Discuss

Thu, 22 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

As long as I know myself to be a coward I shall be unhappy.

Wed, 21 Aug 2019 05:00:00 GMT

The very essence of an instinct is that it is followed independently of reason.