Daily Knowledge "At times I think and at times I am."
[Paul Valery]
Quote of the Day, from brainyquote.com (2026/03/14)
Article of the Day
The number π (pi) is a mathematical constant, approximately equal to 3.14159, that is the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter. It is an irrational number, meaning that it cannot be expressed exactly as a ratio of two integers, though it is sometimes approximated as 22/7. Its decimal representation never ends, nor does it enter a permanently repeating pattern. The digits of π appear to be evenly distributed, but no proof of this conjecture has been found. It appears in many formulae in mathematics and physics, and for thousands of years mathematicians have computed its value with increasing accuracy. Since the late 20th century, mathematicians and computer scientists have extended the decimal representation of π to many trillions of digits. Many equations from trigonometry and geometry rely on π, especially those concerning circles and spheres. A transcendental number, π is one of the most widely known mathematical constants. (Full article...)
Current Events
BBC One-minute World News
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Image of the Day
Source: Wikimedia Commons.
On this day: March 14
March 14: Sikh New Year's Day; White Day in parts of East Asia; Pi Day
- 1489 – Catherine Cornaro (pictured), Queen of Cyprus, was forced to abdicate and sell the administration of the island to the Republic of Venice.
- 1593 – Japanese invasions of Korea: A force of 3,000 Korean soldiers successfully defended Haengju Fortress against 30,000 Japanese invaders.
- 1885 – The Mikado, Gilbert and Sullivan's most frequently performed Savoy opera, debuted at the Savoy Theatre in London.
- 1945 – The Royal Air Force first used the Grand Slam, a 22,000 lb (10,000 kg) earthquake bomb, on a strategic railway viaduct in Bielefeld, Germany.
- 1991 – Escondida, one of the most productive copper mines in the world, was officially inaugurated.
- Castro Alves (b. 1847)
- Diane Arbus (b. 1923)
- A. A. Kannisto (d. 1930)
- Charlie Whiting (d. 2019)
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].