| Construction of Canadian Pacific Railway Completed (1885) |
| The Canadian Pacific Railway was originally built between eastern Canada and British Columbia, fulfilling a promise made to British Columbia when it agreed to join the Canadian Confederation in 1871. The railway's transcontinental passenger service was instrumental in the settlement and development of Western Canada. Today, it also includes US hubs, such as New York, but its primary passenger service was dropped in 1986. Why was the image of a beaver chosen for the railway's logo? Discuss |
| Read More...(Source: This Day in History - Sat, 7 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT) |
| Dominican Republic Adopts First Constitution (1844) |
| The Dominican Republic declared its independence from Haiti in a movement led by Juan Duarte and Pedro Santana. It adopted a presidential form of government, but Santana forced the constitutional assembly to include an article in the constitution that gave him dictatorial powers, allowing him to drive out his political opponents, including Duarte. In 1861, Santana restored the Dominican Republic to what country? |
| Read More...(Source: This Day in History - Fri, 6 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT) |
| Susan B. Anthony Breaks US Law to Vote (1872) |
| Anthony was an important figure in the 19th-century US women's suffrage movement. In 1869, Anthony, together with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, founded an association dedicated to securing voting rights for women. Three years later, she defied US law and voted in the presidential election, asserting that the 14th Amendment entitled her to do so. She was arrested and fined, but her actions drew great attention to the women's rights movement. Why was she expelled from the National Labor Union? |
| Read More...(Source: This Day in History - Thu, 5 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT) |
| Homer |
| It is not good to have a rule of many. Discuss |
| Read More...(Source: Quote of the Day - Sat, 7 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT) |
| Bram Stoker |
| How blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads; to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly, and brings nothing but sweet dreams. |
| Read More...(Source: Quote of the Day - Fri, 6 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT) |
| Charles Dickens |
| He would make a lovely corpse. |
| Read More...(Source: Quote of the Day - Thu, 5 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT) |
| forebode |
| DEFINITION: (verb) Make a prediction about; tell in advance. SYNONYMS: anticipate, call, foretell, predict, prognosticate, promise. USAGE: Andrea turned pale, and drew towards the door; he saw a cloud rising in the horizon, which appeared to forebode a coming storm. Discuss |
| Read More...(Source: Word of the Day - Sat, 7 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT) |
| sprawl |
| DEFINITION: (verb) To spread out in a straggling or disordered fashion. SYNONYMS: straggle. USAGE: The pulp mill sprawled over the narrow flats. |
| Read More...(Source: Word of the Day - Fri, 6 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT) |
| greening |
| DEFINITION: (noun) Restoration of vitality or freshness. SYNONYMS: rejuvenation. USAGE: It was a time of wonder and marvel, of the soft touch of silver rain on greening fields, of the incredible delicacy of young leaves, of blossom in field and garden and wood. |
| Read More...(Source: Word of the Day - Thu, 5 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT) |
| Leon Trotsky (1879) |
| Trotsky was a Marxist intellectual whose ideas form the basis of Trotskyism, a Communist ideology based on the theory of worldwide revolution. He was a crucial figure in the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia and organized the Red Army in the civil war that followed. After a power struggle with Joseph Stalin in the 1920s, Trotsky was exiled from the USSR. In 1940, he was assassinated in Mexico by an alleged Soviet agent with ties to Stalin. From whom did he borrow the name "Trotsky"? Discuss |
| Read More...(Source: Today's Birthday - Sat, 7 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT) |
| Suleiman the Magnificent (1494) |
| Sultan Suleiman I, or Suleiman the Magnificent, reigned from 1520 to 1566, during which time the Ottoman Empire reached the height of its power and prestige. Suleiman restructured the Ottoman legal system, a move that earned him the name Kanuni, or "the Lawgiver." At the time of his death, Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, Damascus, Baghdad, many Balkan provinces, and most of North Africa were under his empire's control. Why did Suleiman have his close boyhood friend, Ibrahim Pasha, executed? |
| Read More...(Source: Today's Birthday - Fri, 6 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT) |
| Ida Tarbell (1857) |
| Tarbell's investigative journalism earned her a reputation as a leading "muckraker"—one who investigates and exposes issues of corruption and misconduct. Her 19-part exposé for McClure's magazine, later published in a book titled The History of the Standard Oil Company, led to the breakup of the Standard Oil monopoly and is seen as a model for journalism today. Where did this book rank on a 1999 list of the top 100 works of American journalism in the 20th century? |
| Read More...(Source: Today's Birthday - Thu, 5 Nov 2009 05:00:00 GMT) |
| Gamers prove their metal as rock stars |
| Jess Hu is a child care provider from Brooklyn, New York, but for 20 hours a week, she's a rock star. That's how much she estimates she plays the video game "Rock Band." |
| Read More...(Source: CNN.com - Funny News - Tue, 22 Jan 2008 12:27:09 EST) |
| Comedian is living in an Ikea store |
| Read full story for latest details. |
| Read More...(Source: CNN.com - Funny News - Tue, 08 Jan 2008 20:23:26 EST) |
| Texas town hopes to become UFO landing spot |
| Read More...(Source: CNN.com - Funny News - Wed, 23 Jan 2008 09:39:56 EST) |
| Governor's son sells 'Don't Drop the Soap' |
| Read full story for latest details. |
| Read More...(Source: CNN.com - Funny News - Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:05:59 EST) |
| Cops snag lotto ticket from accused drug dealer |
| Read full story for latest details. |
| Read More...(Source: CNN.com - Funny News - Mon, 21 Jan 2008 10:51:26 EST) |
| Politician cuts the fat with photo fakery |
| Read full story for latest details. |
| Read More...(Source: CNN.com - Funny News - Sat, 19 Jan 2008 13:56:45 EST) |
| Puppy vs. polar cub for cuteness title |
| Read More...(Source: CNN.com - Funny News - Mon, 14 Jan 2008 09:56:18 EST) |