|
|
|
Tuesday, April 14, 2020 |
|
Wednesday, October 21, 2020 12:05:51 AM |
1,151
[0.11% of all post / 6.03 posts per day] |
|
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (1917)
Considered one of the main innovators of bebop along with Charlie Parker, Gillespie was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. His virtuosity and comic wit—in addition to his trademark puffed cheeks and 45-degree upturned trumpet bell—made him one of the most charismatic and influential musicians in jazz. Gillespie was once struck by a car while riding his bicycle. Though he was injured only slightly, a jury awarded him $1,000 because he could no longer do what? More...
|
Siad Barre Leads Coup to Become President of Somalia (1969)
Following the assassination of Somalia's president in 1969, a military coup installed Major General Mohamed Siad Barre as leader. His dictatorial administration was marked by human rights abuses and civil strife. Though he sought to end pervasive clan loyalties, warfare among rival factions intensified. In 1991, he was ousted. The country plunged into a civil war and has had no effective central government since. How did Siad Barre's regime terrorize the Majeerteen clan in particular? More...
|
Secret Sharing
In cryptography, secret sharing is a method of guarding information by distributing pieces of it to a number of people or entities. Each participant has a share of the secret, but no share is useful on its own. Some shares may even be decoys that are not useful at all. In certain scenarios, multiple participants may collaborate to try to reconstruct the original secret. How can they be certain that no one is misrepresenting himself just to gain access to more shares? More...
|
antediluvian
(adjective) So extremely old as seeming to belong to an earlier period.
Synonyms: antiquated, archaic
Usage: My grandfather's antediluvian ideas about relationships and marriage are frequently at odds with my views.
|
Festival of the Black Christ
One legend associated with the observance of this festival in Portobelo, Panama, says that during a cholera epidemic on the Isthmus, the people discovered a statue of a black Christ and brought it into the church. Within a few days, the cholera had completely disappeared from Portobelo, even though it continued to rage elsewhere. The people of Portobelo honor El Jesús Nazarene by carrying the statue in procession on a decorated platform through the city. Pilgrims come from all over Panama, as they have for more than 300 years, to celebrate with folk dancing, music, and songs. More...
|
Pauline Bonaparte (1780)
A woman of great beauty and considerable scandal, Pauline Bonaparte was Napoleon's favorite sister. She accompanied her first husband on an expedition to subdue Haiti, but he failed and died of yellow fever. Pauline then married a Roman nobleman, but she soon tired of him and returned to Paris, where her scandalous conduct earned her a reputation. Pauline was the only one of Napoleon's siblings to come to his aid when he was exiled to Elba, despite having incurred his disfavor for what? More...
|
The Saturday Night Massacre (1973)
While investigating the Watergate scandal, special prosecutor Archibald Cox subpoenaed audiotapes of conversations implicating US President Richard Nixon in a cover-up of a burglary of the Democratic headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC. Nixon refused to produce the tapes and ordered the US attorney general and his deputy to fire Cox. On the same Saturday, both men resigned in protest, and public outcry eventually forced Nixon to surrender the tapes. What happened to Cox? More...
|
Fritz Joubert Duquesne
Said to have been handsome, charming, and fluent in several languages, Duquesne was a South African Boer who led a life of intrigue. He was a secret agent, military officer, big game hunter, saboteur, and journalist. Imprisoned on numerous occasions, he narrowly avoided execution by firing squad and once escaped from prison by feigning paralysis. While spying for Germany, he and 32 others were arrested in the FBI's 1941 takedown of the Duquesne Spy Ring. Who is he suspected of assassinating? More...
|
indignation
(noun) Strong displeasure at something considered unjust, offensive, insulting, or base; righteous anger.
Synonyms: outrage
Usage: I could hardly contain my indignation at his disparaging comments.
|
Birth of the Bab
Birth of the Bab is a holy day in the Baha’i religion to celebrate the birthday in 1819 of Mirza Ali Mohammad in Shiraz, Persia (now Iran). In 1844, Mirza Ali declared himself the Bab (meaning "gate") and foretold the coming of one greater than he. The day, on which work is suspended, is a happy social occasion for Baha'is. More...
|
|