Daily Content Archive

Word of the Day
fragrancy Definition: (noun) A pleasingly sweet olfactory property. Synonyms: redolence, bouquet, sweetness Usage: The fragrancy of her perfume seemed to attract every man in the room, drawing them to her like flies to honey.

Article of the Day

Airglow In Earth's upper atmosphere, ultraviolet light from the Sun ionizes atoms and dissociates molecules at heights between 40 and 200 miles (64 and 322 kilometers) above the planet's surface. When the fragments collide and recombine, some atoms and molecules are left with excess energy, which they release as light, known as airglow. Airglow hampers optical telescopic observations on Earth by reducing the apparent contrast between stars and space. What types of atoms are involved in the phenomenon? More...

This Day in History

World's Fair Starts in Seattle, Washington (1962) Hosted at the dawn of the Space Age, the 1962 World's Fair featured a glittering array of futuristic technology. Nearly 10 million people came to see the new cars and gadgets or ride to the top of the new Space Needle. While its technology was advanced, the fair anticipated none of the social changes soon to come—the society of the future looked like that of 1950s, but with gyrocopters. Why did US President John F. Kennedy lie, claiming to be too sick to attend the closing ceremony? More...

Today's Birthday

John Muir (1838) Once an aspiring industrial engineer, US conservationist John Muir devoted himself to nature after losing an eye in an 1867 factory accident. That year, he walked from Indiana to the Gulf of Mexico, a journey of about 1,000 mi (1,600 km). He then moved to California and spent much of the next 12 years traveling and writing about nature. He promoted the idea of national forest preserves and helped establish Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. What four items did he take on his backcountry hikes? More...

Quotation of the Day
Among the sentiments of most powerful operation upon the human heart, and most highly honorable to the human character, are those of veneration for our forefathers, and of love for our posterity. John Quincy Adams (1767-1848)

Idiom of the Day
(as) nice as ninepence — Very tidy, neat, and well-organized; in good order. More...

Today's Holiday

Fiesta San Antonio (2024) The Fiesta San Antonio is a 10-day extravaganza of events held since 1901 in San Antonio, Texas, including San Jacinto Day, April 21. The highlight of the fiesta is the Battle of Flowers Parade alongside the Alamo. Merrymakers originally pelted each other with flowers, but now people crush cascarones, decorated eggshells filled with confetti, on each others' heads. Some 150 other events include concerts, fashion shows, art fairs, a charreada (Mexican rodeo), torchlit floats in the Fiesta Flambeau Parade, and decorated barges in the San Antonio River Parade. More...