Article of the Day

Commodus The son of Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Aurelius Commodus Antoninus was a Roman emperor who ruled from 180 to 192 CE—a period some historians view as the beginning of the empire's decline. Though his reign was relatively peaceful, Commodus was a tyrant who spent lavishly on gladiatorial combats, persecuted the Senate, and even renamed Rome after himself. He fancied himself a gladiator, frequently battling both men and animals, and considered himself the reincarnation of what mythical hero? More... Discuss

Word of the Day

Play snigger discuss
Definition:	(verb) Laugh quietly.
Synonyms:	snicker
Usage:	The rude tourists snigger at the locals' outdated ways and dress.

Quote of the Day

Clock, n.: A machine of great moral value to man, allaying his concern for the future by reminding him what a lot of time remains to him. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) Discuss

Today in History

Liberian President William R. Tolbert Is Killed in Military Coup (1980) Liberia was founded in the 1820s by former slaves from the US, and tensions between the Americo-Liberian minority and the indigenous majority have persisted since that time. On April 12, 1980, a group of soldiers led by Samuel Kanyon Doe stormed the executive mansion, killing Americo-Liberian President William R. Tolbert and 27 other government leaders. Doe, a member of the ethnic Krahn tribe, then declared himself president. How had a rice scandal seriously undermined Tolbert? More... Discuss