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Word of the Day

Play hard-pressed discuss
Definition:	(adjective) Facing or experiencing financial trouble or difficulty.
Synonyms:	distressed, hard put, in a bad way
Usage:	Hard-pressed consumers are spending less on luxuries.

Word of the Day provided by The Free Dictionary

Article of the Day

Holodomor

A combination of the Ukrainian words holod, meaning "hunger," and mor, meaning "plague," the term Holodomor refers to the Ukrainian famine that led to millions of deaths in 1932 and 1933. Though some scholars note that natural causes—such as weather and a poor harvest—might have contributed to the famine, most modern historians agree that it was a direct result of the policies of the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin. For that reason, the Holodomor is sometimes referred to as what? More... Discuss

Article of the Day provided by The Free Dictionary

This Day in History

Mayan Long Count Calendar Begins (3114 BCE)

The Long Count is one of the various ancient Mayan calendars that maintained complicated, cyclical measurements of time. It was intended to provide an accurate record of historical events and counts the days elapsed from a fixed starting point—calculated as August 11, 3114 BCE, the date of creation according to the Maya. Some believe that the calendar predicts the world's end on December 21, 2012, but scholars have widely rejected this claim. What was the significance of that date to the Maya? More... Discuss

This Day in History provided by The Free Dictionary

Today's Birthday

Alex Haley (1921)

A descendent of African slaves, Haley began writing during a 20-year US Coast Guard career. He became a journalist, and earned national attention for The Autobiography of Malcolm X. His biggest success was 1976's Roots, a Pulitzer Prize-winning history of his ancestors beginning with their enslavement. A television adaptation became one of the most-watched programs in America, spurring interest in genealogy. Why then was the work excluded from a prominent anthology of literature? More... Discuss

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Quote of the Day