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Today in context, October 27, 2020
Cursed!
Most people know that curses aren’t really real. But sometimes it certainly feels that someone has cast a hex. We take a look at some famous curses in history, and the people—and an animal—that reportedly caused them.
A mummy’s wrath
The discovery of King Tut’s tomb in 1922 was a worldwide sensation. It also reportedly led to a number of deaths, including that of Howard Carter, who led the expedition.
Curse of the Bambino
The Bambino was Babe Ruth, and the cursed were the Boston Red Sox. The team sold the baseball player to the New York Yankees in 1920, thus causing a World Series drought that didn’t end until 2004.
Retribution that’s hard to stomach
Visitors to Mexico have long been warned that if they drink the water, they’ll suffer “Montezuma’s revenge.” But who was he, and why did he want vengeance?
What did a billy goat have against the Cubs?
That’s what Chicago fans wondered for 108 years. However, the alleged curse finally ended in 2016, when the team won the World Series.
For the Birds
Did you know that there are more than 200 billion birds on the planet? That comes out to about 25 per person. No wonder we see and hear so many every day. But how much do you know about birds? Read on for some interesting avian facts.
Six of the World’s Most Dangerous Birds, Including One That Almost Killed Johnny Cash
List / Science
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Can you identify the world’s national capitals? In this quiz you’ll be shown the names of 195 countries, and you’ll need...
Baseball
Do you think you know about baseball? Test your knowledge with this quiz.
Everything in Space in a 25-Minute Quiz
Ever wanted to visit everything in outer space in only 25 minutes? Now you can with this quiz, which will rocket you from...
All-American History Quiz
Who was the original Edsel? When did a U.S. president first appear on TV? Go back in time for the all-American answers.
Explore India Quiz
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Nobel Prize
Do you know when the first Nobel Prize was awarded? How about the maximum number of people who can share a prize? Test your...
Al Pacino
Are you a die-hard Al Pacino fan? Test your knowledge of the actor’s life and works with this quiz.
Volleyball: Fact or Fiction?
Know a bit about spiking, hits, and rallies? See if you can serve up a winning score in this volleyball quiz!
New on Britannica
Sectionalism
Sectionalism is an exaggerated devotion to the interests of a region over those of a country as a whole. Throughout American history, tension has existed between several regions, but the competing views of the institution of slavery held by Northerners and Southerners was the preeminent sectional split and the defining political issue in the United States from the founding of the country until the American Civil War.
Voter Suppression
In U.S. history and politics, voter suppression is any legal or extralegal measure or strategy whose purpose or practical effect is to reduce voting, or registering to vote, by members of a targeted racial group, political party, or religious community. The overwhelming majority of victims of voter suppression in the United States have been African Americans.
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Entertainment & Pop Culture
Entertainment and leisure activities have been a part of all cultures in one form or another since the ancient times, whether the activity in question involved participating in a dance performance, attending a Broadway show, going to a music festival, or watching a movie.
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- Music
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Titanic: The Movie
Whether you saw it one time or twelve times, test your...
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Scarface Quiz
In this country, you gotta make the money first. Then...
Geography & Travel
Planet Earth contains some extraordinarily diverse environments, some of which are easily habitable and some not so much. In different areas of Earth, one might find sweltering deserts, dense tropical rainforests, or bone-chilling tundras. Each biome and habitat comes with its own selection of flora and fauna, and it may include physical features such as canyons, volcanoes, rivers, or caves. Human beings have built homes in many different environments, settling the area and organizing it into units such as cities, states, regions, and countries, each with its own points of interest. Shifting trends in human migration have resulted in a human geography that is profoundly different from that of centuries ago.
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Southeast Indian
people
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Exploring Chile: Fact or Fiction?
Is Chile located on the west coast of South America?...
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Exploring Paraguay: Fact or Fiction?
Is Paraguay north of the Equator? Is Santiago the capital...
Health & Medicine
The study of the human mind and body, how these function, and how they interact—not only with each other but also with their environment—has been of utmost importance in ensuring human well-being. Research on potential treatments and preventive medicine has expanded greatly with the development of modern medicine, and a network of disciplines, including such fields as genetics, psychology, and nutrition, aims to facilitate the betterment of our health.
Featured
- Antibiotic resistance
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Human Organs: Fact or Fiction?
Is it true that we only use ten percent of our brain?...
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Your Body: Fact or Fiction?
Does insulin regulate the level of sugar in the body?...
Lifestyles & Social Issues
It's easy enough to agree that human beings all around the world have certain basic requirements that must be fulfilled in order to ensure their individual and collective well-being. History has shown us, however, that it's not so easy to form societies or communities that fulfill these requirements for all members. The fight over human and civil rights has persisted for hundreds of years and remains alive today, both within the borders of nations and on an international scale. It has led to large-scale social movements and reforms concerning issues such as suffrage, slavery, women's rights, racial discrimination, environmentalism, gay rights, and more.
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John Locke
English philosopher
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9 Cemeteries to Die For
Shopping for an earthly place in which to spend eternity.
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Ovechkin or Putin?
These two Russians might be harder to tell apart than...
Literature
With the development of language, the human imagination has found a way to create and communicate through the written word. A literary work can transport us into a fictional, fantastic new world, describe a fleeting feeling, or simply give us a picture of the past through novels, poems, tragedies, epic works, and other genres. Through literature, communication becomes an art, and it can bridge and bond people and cultures of different languages and backgrounds.
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- Portuguese literature
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The Life and Works of English Authors
You may be familiar with Alice in...
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Name That Author
Who wrote The Wealth of Nations?...
Philosophy & Religion
Humans have long pondered not only how we came to be but also why we came to be. The earliest Greek philosophers focused their attention upon the origin and nature of the physical world; later philosophers have theorized about the nature of knowledge, truth, good and evil, love, friendship, and much more. Thus, philosophy involves a methodical assessment of any and all aspects of human existence and experience. The realms of philosophy and religion have sometimes intersected in conducting inquiries such as these. As with philosophy, the study of religion underscores how humankind has long speculated about its origins. The possibility of a higher being (or beings) to which livings things owe their existence has long captived human thought. Many religions also offer their own views on the nature of good and evil, and they may prescribe guidelines and judgment on different kinds of human behavior.
Featured
- Mesopotamian religion
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World Religions: Fact or Fiction?
Is Sikhism a branch of Buddhism? Are the first five...
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This or That?: Greek Gods vs. Roman Gods
Greek and Roman mythology borrowed heavily from each...
Politics, Law & Government
The world today is divided territorially into more than 190 countries, each of which possesses a national government that claims to exercise sovereignty and seeks to compel obedience to its will by its citizens. Governments can be classified in any number of ways. For example, they might be classified by the number of rulers, thus distinguishing government by one (as in a monarchy or a tyranny) from government by the few (in an aristocracy or oligarchy) and from government by the many (as in a democracy). Governments can also be classified by mode of succession; for example, ascension to governmental leadership may follow the rules of hereditary succession, or it may be determined through elections or by force. Governments also vary in terms of the laws and rules of conduct that each political entity follows.
Featured
- Organized labour
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The First 15 Presidents of the United States
Find the last names of the first 15 presidents of the...
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How Does the U.S. Government Define the Difference Between a Protest and a Riot?
How does the U.S. government define the difference...
Science
How can the sky be blue one day and stormy the next? Why do heavy objects tend to fall downwards when dropped? How are birds able to fly (and why can’t I do the same?)? Human beings have long been curious about the world in which we live, striving to identify connections among the phenomenons we witness and to understand how it all works. The field of science has developed over many centuries as a way of studying and understanding the world, beginning with the primitive stage of simply noting important regularities in nature and continuing through the rise of modern science. The modern-day sciences cover a vast range of fields, including biology, chemistry, meteorology, astronomy, physics, and much more.
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Plant
organism
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What Happened to the Megalodon?
Megalodon (Carcharocles megalodon)...
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Unidentified Flying Objects: What We Know
Everything we know (and only what we know) about the...
Sports & Recreation
Physical contests and recreational games have long played a part in human society. In both team and solo sports, the human body has been pushed to its limits in the name of improving athletic performance and to break record upon record. The ancient Olympic Games are an early example of the contests in which humans have engaged to showcase physical prowess. In modern times, sports and games have evolved into a lucrative and competitive industry, while other leisure activities, such as card and video games, can be competitive or can just be a way to unwind or socialize.
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Rugby
sport
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All About Horse Racing Quiz
And they’re off! Will you win, place, or show? With...
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Football the Way Americans Play It Quiz
In the American version of football, you’re allowed...
Technology
Humankind has long striven to improve its living conditions through the development of tools, instruments, and transportation and communications systems, all with the goal of making our lives easier, more productive and—why not—more fun, too! Thanks to human curiosity and technological research, many significant inventions have been made throughout history that in turn made a difference in our daily lives.
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Singularity
technology
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Gadgets and Technology: Fact or Fiction?
Is virtual reality only used in toys? Have robots ever...
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Acoustics and Radio Technology: Fact or Fiction?
Do cellular phones use relayed radio signals? From...
Visual Arts
These are the arts that meet the eye and evoke an emotion through an expression of skill and imagination. They include the most ancient forms, such as painting and drawing, and the arts that were born thanks to the development of technology, like sculpture, printmaking, photography, and installation art, the latter a combination of multiple creative expressions. Though beauty is in the eye of the beholder, different eras in art history have had their own principles to define beauty, from the richly ornamented taste of the Baroque to the simple, utilitarian style of the Prairie School.
Featured
- Video art
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Name That Artist
What do you know about famous artists of the past and...
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Coen Brothers
Do you think you know about the films of Joel and Ethan...
World History
Does history really repeat itself, or can we learn from the mistakes of those who came before us? History provides a chronological, statistical, and cultural record of the events, people, and movements that have made an impact on humankind and the world at large throughout the ages. Investigating the causes and results of past events is critically important in gaining a full understanding and perspective of present-day issues.
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Genghis Khan
Mongol ruler
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European Exploration: Fact or Fiction?
Were the French the first Europeans to reach southern...
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Southeast Asia: Fact or Fiction?
Was Thailand colonized? Has the Philippines ever had...
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