Daily Content Archive

Word of the Day
nosebag Definition: (noun) A canvas bag that is used to feed an animal (such as a horse). Synonyms: feedbag Usage: The stableboy replaced the horse's nosebag, which had torn in two places.

Article of the Day

El Dorado El Dorado—Spanish for "the gilded man"—is the fabled city of gold and jewels believed by the 16th-century Spanish and other Europeans to exist somewhere in South America. The legend supposedly originated from the Chibcha people of Colombia, who each year anointed a chieftain and rolled him in gold, which he then ceremonially washed off in a sacred lake, casting offerings of emeralds and gold into the waters. Who were some of the explorers who searched for El Dorado, and where did they look? More...

This Day in History

The "Flying Tailor" Dies after Failed Parachute Jump from Eiffel Tower (1912) Parachutes at the dawn of the aviation age were bulky and, inconveniently, had to be pre-opened. Among those trying to improve upon their design was French tailor Franz Reichelt. He had some success testing his designs on dummies, but he had no evidence that his parachute would work with a real person when he jumped from the Eiffel Tower before a crowd of spectators and reporters. The chute failed to open, and he plummeted to his death. How had he convinced the authorities to allow the jump? More...

Today's Birthday

Charles Lindbergh (1902) In 1927, Lindbergh, an American aviator, made the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic in 33.5 hours, landing in Paris to a hero's welcome. He returned to the US a celebrity but moved to England in 1932 to escape the media frenzy surrounding the kidnapping and murder of his son. Returning to the US in 1940, he faced criticism for opposing US entry into WWII. Still, he flew combat missions for the US during the war. He helped invent what device that made open-heart surgery possible? More...

Quotation of the Day
Love is...the principal means of escape from the loneliness which afflicts most men and women throughout the greater part of their lives. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970)

Idiom of the Day
lust for power — Intense, insatiable desire to attain power and control. More...

Today's Holiday

Sri Lanka National Day (2024) The former British colony of Ceylon changed its name in 1972 to Sri Lanka, which means "Blessed Isle." Sri Lankans commemorate the granting of their independence from Great Britain on February 4, 1948, with public gatherings throughout the island and special services in the temples, churches, and mosques. There are also parades, folk dances, processions, and national games. More...