Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, July 26, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Article of the Day | |
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 Vending MachinesToday, there are few things that cannot be purchased from vending machines. Most vending machines in the US dispense snacks, beverages, and other inexpensive merchandise, but in the 1950s, some airports featured life insurance policy-dispensing machines. In Japan, where there is approximately one vending machine for every 23 people, you can buy everything from live lobsters to iPods to underwear from machines. Who is believed to have invented the first vending machine and what did it dispense? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 US President Truman Signs Executive Order Desegregating Military (1948)Expanding on 1941's Executive Order 8802, which prohibited discrimination in the defense industry, Order 9981 required that all persons in the armed forces be treated equally without regard to race or other factors. It also called for the establishment of an advisory committee to facilitate the implementation of this policy. The order eliminated segregation in the armed forces within years, though racism was another matter entirely. What historically black boot camp was eliminated by Order 9981? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Aldous Huxley (1894)Huxley was a British writer known for his works of witty and pessimistic satire, like Antic Hay (1923), which established his reputation as a novelist. In his acclaimed Brave New World, he envisions a nightmarish, scientifically controlled future society that underscores the dehumanizing aspects of technological progress. His later works reveal an interest in philosophy and mysticism. Though he spent much of his life in the US, he was repeatedly denied citizenship for what reason? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A God that can be understood is no God. Who can explain the Infinite in words?W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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peg it— To leave or depart very quickly or suddenly. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Festivities for the Day of National Rebellion (2024)This three-day national holiday in Cuba commemorates an attack that took place on July 26, 1953, when rebel forces led by Fidel Castro struck the Moncada army barracks in Santiago de Cuba. It is remembered as the beginning of the rebellion that ousted the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959. The holiday is an occasion for displays of national pride and mass rallies. Crowds of 100,000 are common in Havana, where a carnival, live music, singing, dancing and flag waving mark the occasion. Santiago de Cuba also has a large carnival, and other cities host celebrations as well. More... | |