Daily Knowledge "If moderation is a fault, then indifference is a crime."
[Jack Kerouac]
Quote of the Day, from brainyquote.com (2018/09/20)
Article of the Day
Kate Sheppard (1848–1934) was the most prominent member of the women's suffrage movement in New Zealand, and is one of that nation's best-known historical figures. Born in Liverpool, England, she migrated to New Zealand with her family in 1868, joining religious and social organisations there, including the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). In 1887 she was appointed the WCTU's National Superintendent for Franchise and Legislation. Sheppard promoted women's suffrage by organising petitions and public meetings, by writing letters to the press, and by developing contacts with politicians. She was the editor of the White Ribbon, the first woman-operated newspaper in New Zealand. Through her skilful writing and persuasive public speaking, her work culminated in the grant of the vote to women on 19 September 1893, making New Zealand the first nation to grant universal suffrage. (Full article...)
Current Events
BBC One-minute World News
Fast briefed every day.
- Senate Republicans close ranks on Kavanaugh accuser (2018-09-20 00:09)
- Lawyer explains why Ford wants investigation (2018-09-19 02:56)
- Brexit talks are running out of time, top EU official warns (2018-09-19 23:36)
- 2 women drown in police van swept away by Florence floods (2018-09-19 23:45)
- 7-year-old in India in critical condition after rape (2018-09-19 20:39)
Image of the Day
Source: Wikimedia Commons.
On this day: September 19
September 19: Day of Tasu'a (Islam, 2018); International Talk Like a Pirate Day
- 1356 – Hundred Years' War: English forces led by Edward the Black Prince decisively won the Battle of Poitiers and captured King Jean II of France.
- 1692 – Salem witch trials: As Giles Corey was being crushed to death for refusing to enter a plea to charges of witchcraft, he reportedly kept telling officials, "More weight!"
- 1940 – Polish resistance leader Witold Pilecki (pictured) allowed himself to be captured by German forces and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp in order to gather intelligence.
- 1970 – The first Glastonbury Festival, the largest greenfield festival in the world, was held at Michael Eavis's farm in Glastonbury, England.
- 1982 –
:-)and:-(were first proposed by Scott Fahlman for use as emoticons.
Theodore of Tarsus (d. 690) · Alexander Tilloch Galt (d. 1893) · Damayanti Joshi (d. 2004)
Knowledge about Earth
Facts and Figures
- Age of Earth: ~ 4.568 billion years
- World Population: 7.3 billion (July 2015)
- Continents: 7 (Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia)
- Mean Radius: 6371.0 km
- Axial Tilt: 23,44°
Image Source: Wikipedia - License: Public Domain (thanks to NASA)
Our Solar System
Our solar system consists of
1 star (Sun) and 8 planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune).
- 1 AU (astronomical unit) is roughly the distance between Earth and the Sun (about 150 million kilometres).
- The space probe Voyager 1 was launched by the NASA in 1977 and is meanwhile (autumn 2015) about 133 AU away from Earth.
Image Source: Wikipedia - License: CC BY-SA 3.0
Why you should extend your general knowledge:
There are many reasons why one should or wants to extend his knowledge.
First you should consider that "general knowledge" is knowledge which a group of humans - who belong together regional, temporal or otherwise - owns. Thus, it describes a basic understanding of specific categories of knowledge.
As the English philosopher Francis Bacon said before: "Wisdom is Power" [Bacon 1597].