Daily Content Archive

Word of the Day
borecole Definition: (noun) A hardy cabbage with coarse curly leaves that do not form a head. Synonyms: kale, Brassica oleracea acephala, colewort Usage: The aristocrats did not enjoy the health benefits of borecole because they considered it a peasant's food.

Article of the Day

Gelatin Gelatin is a foodstuff largely composed of denatured collagen, a protein that is readily digested and absorbed. It is found in the connective tissue of the cartilage, hoofs, and tendons of vertebrate animals and is extracted by the action of boiling water or dilute acid. Gelatin swells to an elastic, transparent mass when placed in contact with cold water and takes up to 10 times its own weight. It is an important food stabilizer, thickener and texturizer. What is gelatin's ballistic use? More...

This Day in History

US President Truman Signs Executive Order Desegregating Military (1948) Expanding on 1941's Executive Order 8802, which prohibited discrimination in the defense industry, Order 9981 required that all persons in the armed forces be treated equally without regard to race or other factors. It also called for the establishment of an advisory committee to facilitate the implementation of this policy. The order eliminated segregation in the armed forces within years, though racism was another matter entirely. What historically black boot camp was eliminated by Order 9981? More...

Today's Birthday

Aldous Huxley (1894) Huxley was a British writer known for his works of witty and pessimistic satire, like Antic Hay (1923), which established his reputation as a novelist. In his acclaimed Brave New World, he envisions a nightmarish, scientifically controlled future society that underscores the dehumanizing aspects of technological progress. His later works reveal an interest in philosophy and mysticism. Though he spent much of his life in the US, he was repeatedly denied citizenship for what reason? More...

Quotation of the Day
There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)

Idiom of the Day
peg it — To leave or depart very quickly or suddenly. More...

Today's Holiday

Festivities for the Day of National Rebellion (2024) This three-day national holiday in Cuba commemorates an attack that took place on July 26, 1953, when rebel forces led by Fidel Castro struck the Moncada army barracks in Santiago de Cuba. It is remembered as the beginning of the rebellion that ousted the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959. The holiday is an occasion for displays of national pride and mass rallies. Crowds of 100,000 are common in Havana, where a carnival, live music, singing, dancing and flag waving mark the occasion. Santiago de Cuba also has a large carnival, and other cities host celebrations as well. More...