Daily Content Archive

Word of the Day
sedulous Definition: (adjective) Persevering and constant in effort or application. Synonyms: assiduous Usage: Her sedulous efforts to learn French eventually enabled her to become almost fluent.

Article of the Day

Lidice During World War II, Reinhard Heydrich—deputy chief of the Gestapo—became known as "the Hangman of Europe" for his mass executions. Czechoslovak patriots sought to end to his reign of terror by rolling a grenade under his car in May 1942, and he died of an infection from his injuries a week later. The Gestapo retaliated by demolishing the Czech village of Lidice. They executed its male population of about 200 and deported all women and children to concentration camps. Why did they choose Lidice? More...

This Day in History

First Volume of Oxford English Dictionary Is Published (1884) Though the first volume, A–Ant, was published in 1884, the first complete edition of the Oxford English Dictionary was not published until 1928. Planned as a 10-year project, the 44-year undertaking resulted in a comprehensive, historical dictionary of English—the longest in the world today. It required more than 800 volunteers to compile material, including one who, it was later learned, turned out to be working from an asylum for the criminally insane. Why was he there? More...

Today's Birthday

William Clark Gable (1901) Despite having such large ears that some doubted he could become a romantic lead, Gable had a rugged masculinity and lighthearted charm that proved popular with audiences. The actor debuted on Broadway in 1928 and went to Hollywood in 1930. There he starred in Mutiny on the Bounty, Gone with the Wind, and It Happened One Night, for which he won an Academy Award. What tragedy prompted him to give up show business and become a bomber pilot during World War II? More...

Quotation of the Day
Prejudices, it is well known, are most difficult to eradicate from the heart whose soil has never been loosened or fertilized by education; they grow firm there, firm as weeds among stones. Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855)

Idiom of the Day
have a lump in (one's) throat — To have difficulty speaking as a result of feeling that one is about to cry due to an intense emotional response to something. More...

Today's Holiday

Imbolc (2023) One of the "Greater Sabbats" during the Wiccan year, Imbolc celebrates the coming of spring and the recovery of the Earth Goddess after giving birth to the Sun God at Yule. The Greater Sabbats (or Sabbaths) take place four times a year, at the Cross-Quarter Days of February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1. In ancient days, some of these were huge get-togethers that involved dancing, singing, and feasting all night. Revolving around the changing of the seasons and the breeding of animals, they served as a way to give thanks for the bounties of the earth. More...