Historical Events, Birthdays And Quotations

This Day in History

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

After his mother, Catherine the Great, suffered a stroke, Paul I ascended to the throne. The new czar instituted a number of reforms that angered the nobility and provoked a conspiracy against him. On the night of his murder, Paul was confronted in his bedroom and pressured to sign his abdication. When he refused, the assassins struck him with a sword, strangled him, and trampled him to death. Though he did not participate in the attack, his successor knew about the plot. Who was he? Discuss

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

Intended to help pay British debts from the French and Indian War, the Stamp Act established the first direct tax levied on the American colonies. It required all newspapers, pamphlets, legal documents, commercial bills, advertisements, and other papers issued in the colonies to bear a tax stamp. The act was vehemently protested by the colonists, and the Stamp Act Congress—the first significant joint colonial response to any British measure—petitioned for its repeal. How did Parliament respond?

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

The 1980 season finale of the popular prime-time soap opera Dallas ended with the show's central character—J.R. Ewing, a greedy, scheming oil baron—being shot by an unknown assailant. The cliffhanger left viewers wondering for months whether he would survive and which of his many enemies had pulled the trigger. The episode that revealed the culprit became one of the highest rated television shows in history, drawing an estimated 83 million viewers. So, who shot J.R.?

Word Trivia

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

frontage road - A smaller road that runs alongside a highway or major road. More...

highway, expressway, freeway, parkway, turnpike - A highway is a main road, while an expressway is a multilane highway; freeways, parkways, and turnpikes are types of expressways. More...

scamp - Once meant a highwayman; as a verb, it meant "rob on the highway." More...

interstate - A highway that is part of the federal network of major roads; despite their name, some interstates do not cross state lines. More...

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

manage - Once a noun meaning "age at which one becomes a man." More...

sui juris - "Legally competent to manage one's own affairs." More...

agronomy - The management and husbandry of land. More...

improvement - Its early spelling was emprowement, meaning "profit, profitable use or management." More...

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

ledgit - A label or memo slip projecting from a book's pages. More...

broach - Comes from Latin brocchus/broccus, "projecting." More...

eminent - Can mean "projecting, protruding" and is based on Latin eminere, "project." More...

eaves - Its etymological meaning is "going over the edge, projecting." More...

Today's Birthdays

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

Devoted to the pursuit of rocketry and spaceflight since his teenage years, German rocket scientist Wernher von Braun was responsible for the successful development of the German V-2 rocket, thousands of which were launched against London and Antwerp during World War II's final year. Nevertheless, at the close of the war, von Braun was brought to the US and soon became a prime figure in the cold war arms race and later in the space program. What notable American projects did he work on? Discuss

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

Andrew Lloyd Webber is a highly successful British composer of musical theatre whose scores include Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Jesus Christ Superstar, Evita, and two of the longest-running Broadway shows of all time: Cats and The Phantom of the Opera. Lloyd Webber has won multiple Tony and Grammy Awards, as well as a Golden Globe and an Oscar, and was knighted in 1992. Cats was inspired by the work of what noted modernist author?

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

One of the greatest and most influential composers of the Western world, Bach created masterful works in almost every musical form known in his period. During his lifetime, Bach was better known as an organist than as a composer, and his works, which include the Brandenburg Concertos, four orchestral suites, and more than 200 church cantatas, were not fully appreciated until long after his death. Bach is the most represented composer on the Voyager Golden Record, which is what?

Article of the Day

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

ESP is an alleged ability to acquire information by means other than the five main senses of taste, sight, touch, smell, and hearing. The term implies sources of information unknown to science. Types of ESP include clairvoyance, aura reading, telepathy, and astral projection. The study of such phenomena is often dubbed "parapsychology." Zener cards were a common research tool for parapsychologists in the early 20th century. What is drawn on each card, and how are they used? Discuss

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

A migraine is a headache characterized by recurrent attacks of severe pain, usually on one side of the head. It may be preceded by flashes or spots before the eyes or a ringing in the ears, and accompanied by double vision, nausea, vomiting, or dizziness. It affects women 3 times as often as men and is frequently inherited. Although the exact cause is unknown, evidence suggests a genetically transmitted functional disturbance of cranial circulation. What is the origin of the word "migraine?"

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

"La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. It was written and composed in 1792 by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle and became the rallying cry of the French Revolution. Originally known as the "Marching Song of the Rhine Army," it got its present name because it was first sung on the streets of Paris by troops from Marseille. The words of what famous revolutionary song written in 1870 were intended to be sung to the melody of "La Marseillaise"?

Quotations of the Day

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

The first precept was never to accept a thing as true until I knew it as such without a single doubt. Discuss

Wed, 22 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

There is a vulgar incredulity, which in historical matters, as well as in those of religion, finds it easier to doubt than to examine.

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 05:00:00 GMT

And the Devil did grin, for his darling sin is pride that apes humility.