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Quote of the Day
- Charles DarwinA fair result can be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts and arguments on both sides of each question. Discuss
- Jane AustenThe power of doing anything with quickness is always prized much by the possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance.
- Miguel de CervantesAs 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.
Word of the Day
- baccaratDefinition: (noun) A card game in which the winner is the player who holds two or three cards totaling closest to nine. Synonyms: chemin de fer. Usage: Because baccarat attracts wealthy players who place enormous bets, a casino can win or lose millions of dollars a night on the game. Discuss
- annunciationDefinition: (noun) A formal public statement. Synonyms: proclamation, declaration, announcement. Usage: A long and dramatic drum-roll signaled that a royal annunciation was about to be delivered.
- arborDefinition: (noun) A shady resting place in a garden or park, often made of rustic work or latticework on which plants, such as climbing shrubs or vines, are grown. Synonyms: bower, pergola. Usage: I never saw such a garden—large and shady, full of box-bordered paths, and lined with long grape-covered arbors with seats under them.
Today’s Birthday
- Mary Wollstonecraft (1759)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
- John James Audubon (1785)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?
- Ella Fitzgerald (1917)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 (article source)
- Wingsuit FlyingWingsuit 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
- ZeroDespite 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?
- SamboSambo 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?
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