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July 28, 2026
Jul 28, 2026
Word
equanimity
noun
Definition
  1. evenness of mind especially under stress
  2. right disposition : balance
Example
Carol's famous equanimity didn't desert her, even in the midst of the crisis.
Origin
If you think "equanimity" looks like it has something to do with "equal," you've guessed correctly. Both "equanimity" and "equal" are derived from "aequus," a Latin adjective meaning "level" or "equal." "Equanimity" comes from the combination of "aequus" and "animus" ("soul" or "mind") in the Latin phrase "aequo animo," which means "with even mind." English speakers began using "equanimity" early in the 17th century with the now obsolete sense "fairness or justness of judgment," which was in keeping with the meaning of the Latin phrase. "Equanimity" quickly came to suggest keeping a cool head under any sort of pressure, not merely when presented with a problem, and eventually it developed an extended sense for general balance and harmony.
Webster's Dictionary
Idiom
sleep like a log
Also, sleep like a top. Sleep very soundly, as in I slept like a log, or She said she slept like a top. Both of these similes transfer the immobility of an object to that of a person who is sound asleep (since a top spinning quickly looks immobile). The first dates from the late 1600s; the variant is newer.
The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms
Fun facts
  1. Hippos can open their mouths 180 degrees.
  2. Chinese is the most spoken language in the world.
Snapple's under-the-cap 'Real Facts'
Artist
Maurice de Vlaminck
Apr 4, 1876 - Oct 11, 1958

Maurice de Vlaminck was a French painter. Along with André Derain and Henri Matisse he is considered one of the principal figures in the Fauve movement, a group of modern artists who from 1904 to 1908 were united in their use of intense colour. Vlaminck was one of the Fauves at the controversial Salon d'Automne exhibition of 1905.

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Wikipedia, Google Arts & Culture
Historical figure
Dudley J. LeBlanc
Aug 16, 1894 - Oct 22, 1971

Dudley J. LeBlanc was an American entrepreneur and politician. He created the patent medicine Hadacol and promoted it through the 'Hadacol Caravan' which featured major celebrities of the day including Mickey Rooney, Ava Gardner, Cesar Romero, Hank Williams, and many others. Williams began writing the song 'Jambalaya' while traveling on the Hadacol bus, listening to the Cajun conversation.

Leblanc served in the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1924 to 1928. In 1932 he ran for governor, losing to the Huey Long candidate Oscar K. Allen. He served in the Louisiana Senate from 1940 to 1944, 1948 to 1952, and 1964 to 1972.

In his gubernatorial campaign, one of Leblanc's planks was to pay a monthly stipend to the elderly. Huey Long subsequently adopted the idea in his nascent campaign for President. Franklin D. Roosevelt got the idea from Long, and it became the modern Social Security system.

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Wikipedia, Google Arts & Culture
Historic event
Kamakura period
1185 - 1333

The Kamakura period is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first shōgun, Minamoto no Yoritomo. The period is known for the emergence of the samurai, the warrior caste, and for the establishment of feudalism in Japan.

The Kamakura period ended in 1333 with the destruction of the shogunate and the short re-establishment of imperial rule under Emperor Go-Daigo by Ashikaga Takauji, Nitta Yoshisada, and Kusunoki Masashige.

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Wikipedia, Google Arts & Culture