Daily Content Archive

Word of the Day
conceit Definition: (noun) A favorable and especially unduly high opinion of one's own abilities or worth. Synonyms: amour-propre, vanity Usage: She was convinced that she was worthy of marrying royalty, but her vanity and conceit only made her less attractive to the prince.

Article of the Day

Yeomen Warders Yeomen Warders, popularly known as Beefeaters, are ceremonial guardians of the Tower of London. In the past, they were responsible for guarding prisoners at the Tower and safeguarding the British crown jewels, but today they serve mainly as tour guides and are a tourist attraction in their own right. To become a Yeoman Warder, one must have served in the British armed forces for at least 22 years and have achieved certain distinctions during service. How did they get the nickname "Beefeaters"? More...

This Day in History

Copyright Act of 1790 Signed into US Law (1790) After the US Constitution was ratified in 1788, one of the first issues that the fledgling government faced was the lack of a copyright law. Without it, Congress would be swamped with individual petitions for protection from piracy. Modeled on Britain's Statute of Anne, the Copyright Act of 1790 was soon signed into law by President Washington. Instituted to encourage learning by securing US authors the sole rights to their work for 14-year periods, it drew what complaint from Charles Dickens? More...

Today's Birthday

Lady Margaret Beaufort (1443) Beaufort was an English noblewoman, wife of Edmund Tudor, and the mother of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor Dynasty. She gave birth to Henry at 13, shortly after being widowed, and developed a close bond with her only child. Renowned for her philanthropy, she endowed professorships of divinity at Oxford and Cambridge and with the help of her confessor, John Fisher, founded Christ's College and St. John's College, Cambridge. She later acted as regent for Henry VIII. How many times did she marry? More...

Quotation of the Day
What is most truly valuable is often underrated. Aesop (620 BC-560 BC)

Idiom of the Day
miss the mark — To be slightly or somewhat mistaken, incorrect, or inaccurate. More...

Today's Holiday

Feast of the Visitation (2023) On this day, Christian churches in the West commemorate the Virgin Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth. After learning that she was to be the mother of Jesus, Mary went into the mountains of Judea to see her cousin, the wife of Zechariah, who had conceived a son to be known as John the Baptist. According to the Gospel of Luke, Elizabeth's baby "leaped in her womb" (1:41) at the sound of Mary's voice. It was at this moment, according to the belief of some Roman Catholics, that John the Baptist was cleansed from original sin and filled with heavenly grace. More...