Daily Content Archive

Word of the Day
hangdog Definition: (adjective) Downcast, furtive, or guilty in appearance or manner. Synonyms: guilty, shamefaced Usage: His hangdog look and shamed silence were proof enough of his guilt.

Article of the Day

William of Ockham Born around 1285, William of Ockham was an English Franciscan philosopher, theologian, and political writer. He is remembered as the originator of the medieval rule of logical economy known as Ockham's razor, the doctrine that unnecessary assumptions should be avoided in formulating hypotheses. He was excommunicated by Pope John XXII for his defense of the Franciscan notion of poverty and the rights of the empire against the papacy. He died in Bavaria. How did he come to be there? More...

This Day in History

First Ascent of the Eiger's North Face (1938) Switzerland's Eiger mountain was first summited in 1858, but the sheer north face of the 13,025-foot (3,970-m) Alpine peak was not successfully climbed until 1938, when two independent pairs of climbers met on the face, joined forces, and reached the summit as a team. It has been climbed many times since, sadly with many fatalities, which, due to the cliff's high visibility, occur in full view of nearby villages. Since 1935, how many people have died climbing the Eiger's so-called Murder Wall? More...

Today's Birthday

Amelia Mary Earhart (1897) After attending an air show in 1920, Earhart, who had previously worked as a military nurse and a social worker, decided she wanted to become a pilot. She bought her first plane the following year. In 1928, she became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic as a passenger, and four years later, she became the first female pilot to make the trip solo. In 1937, her plane mysteriously vanished over the Pacific as she and a copilot attempted to circumnavigate the globe. What happened to them? More...

Quotation of the Day
Grammar, n.: A system of pitfalls thoughtfully prepared for the feet for the self-made man, along the path by which he advances to distinction. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914)

Idiom of the Day
pay (one's) last respects — To show or express one's respect for someone who has died, especially by attending their funeral, wake, memorial service, etc. More...

Today's Holiday

World Santa Claus Congress (2023) The World Santa Claus Congress is held every July at the Bakken amusement park in Klampenborg, Denmark. The three-day event typically brings together more than 100 Santa Clauses from more than a dozen countries, including Japan and Venezuela, discussing such subjects as how to walk like, laugh like, and exude the generous spirit of Santa Claus. They dance around a Christmas tree and enjoy a traditional Danish Christmas feast of roast pork, cabbage and rice pudding. By tradition, the Santas also travel by antique fire engines and buses to a nearby beach for an annual dip in the sea. More...