The Normandy Invasion
Commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day with Britannica
One World, One Ocean
This weekend marks World Oceans Day, a chance to raise awareness of the plight of the oceans and the marine ecosystems they contain. Some 71 percent of Earth’s surface is covered by oceans, including the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, and Southern oceans. But functionally speaking, there’s really only one ocean. That’s not hyperbole: Consider thermohaline circulation, also called the Global Ocean Conveyer, which constantly transports seawater through all the oceans, regardless of their names.
Interactive: Just How Deep Is the Ocean? (Keep Scrolling Down)
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Plastic Disaster: How Your Bags, Bottles and Body Wash End Up in the Ocean
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Why Is the Ocean Salty?
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Weekend Anniversaries
What does Michelangelo’s David have in common with Donald Duck (other than the fact that neither of them is wearing pants)? They both celebrate anniversaries this weekend, as are a classic novel and a landmark Supreme Court case.
Griswold v. State of Connecticut
Friday marks the anniversary of the landmark Griswold v. State of Connecticut case. On June 7, 1965, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the constitutional right of married persons to use birth control, a privacy case cited in other important judgments, including Roe. v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southern Pennsylvania v. Casey.
Michelangelo’s David
Considered the prime statement of the Renaissance ideal of perfect humanity, Michelangelo’s statue of David, the Biblical hero who slayed the giant Goliath, was believed to be installed on June 8, 1504, in the cathedral of Florence. Incredibly, the statue was carved from a block of marble that had been discarded by other artists.
Nineteen Eighty-four
English author George Orwell published his dystopian classic Nineteen Eighty-four, a warning against totalitarianism, on June 8, 1949. The book’s title and many of its concepts, such as Big Brother and the Thought Police, are instantly recognized and understood, often as bywords for modern social and political abuses.
Donald Duck
Sunday is National Donald Duck Day, marking the 90th anniversary of his debut in the short film, The Wise Little Hen. Donald Duck is considered Walt Disney’s second most famous cartoon character (after Mickey Mouse, of course), enjoying worldwide popularity as the star of animated films, newspaper comic strips, comic books, and television.
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Features
- Why Was Nazi Germany Called the Third Reich?
- Why Is Pride Month Celebrated in June?
- Why Is the Indy 500 Held on Memorial Day Weekend?
- Why New York Is Called "The Big Apple" and How 8 Other Famous Cities Got Their Nicknames
- How Did the Rainbow Flag Become a Symbol of LGBTQ Pride?
- Do Lemmings Really Commit Mass Suicide?
- Does Ball Lightning Exist?
- Estimated Battle Casualties During the Normandy Invasion on June 6, 1944
- Why Do Bananas Turn Brown?
- What’s the Difference Between Asian and African Elephants?
Lists
- 10 Best Hockey Players of All Time
- The Top COVID-19 Vaccine Myths Spreading Online
- 7 of History's Most Notorious Serial Killers
- 7 Deadliest Weapons in History
- 6 of the First Women to Become Heads of State
- 12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”
- Titanosaurs: 8 of the World's Biggest Dinosaurs
- Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution
- 9 American Political Scandals
- 6 Animals That Eat Their Mates
A tour through the body
The intricacy of the body’s systems have fascinated people throughout history. Here they are, up close and personal.
Dog sports
These organized contests provide exercise and mental stimulation for dogs, and plenty of entertainment for the rest of us.
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