Word of the Day
Aplomb (n., uh-PLOMB)
Self-confident assurance and poise, like Stephen Curry shooting a three-pointer.
Gif of the Day
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Link of the Day
Happy 800th birthday, Magna Carta
The Magna Carta is one of the most important documents in history. Signed in 1215, it established a rule of law in England for the commoners and the ruling class, laying the foundation for many legal codes to come.
Earlier this week, the Magna Carta celebrated its 800th birthday, and National Geographic compiled an interesting list of ten little-known facts about the document:
2. Magna Carta was drawn up during the reign of Britain’s worst king.
King John is remembered as Bad King John. His dastardly deeds, too numerous to count, include imprisoning his wife, starving opponents to death, and murdering his nephew. He imposed high taxes and seized property to pay for expensive foreign wars. As if being a tyrant weren’t enough, he was singularly untalented. Despite massive tax hikes to fund his armies, he failed to regain the continental lands he had lost. When British scholar Nicholas Vincent was asked by the Daily Telegraph if Bad King John was deserving of the name, he said, “No. He was much worse than that.”
No other British king since has been named John.
Congratulations! You now know more about the document than David Cameron (see number 10).
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