Daily Content Archive

Word of the Day
cram Definition: (verb) Study intensively, as before an exam. Synonyms: bone up, drum, get up, grind away, mug up, swot Usage: I spent the week before my Latin final exam cramming, a strategy that paid off when I aced the class.

Article of the Day

The Trojan Room Coffee Pot The Trojan Room coffee pot, a coffee pot located in the so-called "Trojan Room" of Cambridge University's computer laboratory, inspired the development of world's first webcam in 1991. A camera aimed at the pot allowed people throughout the building—and eventually Internet users worldwide—to see a live image of the coffee pot on their computers and judge whether a trip to the coffee room would be worthwhile at any given moment. What happened to the pot after the webcam was switched off in 2001? More...

This Day in History

Samuel Morse Successfully Tests the Electrical Telegraph (1838) In 1832, Morse, an American painter-turned-inventor, began working on a system for transmitting messages as electrical pulses across a wire. Five years later, he was granted a patent for his electromagnetic telegraph, and he successfully tested the device a year after that. Public use of Morse's telegraph system, as well as the code he developed to represent letters and numbers as electrical pulses, began in 1844 and lasted over 100 years. What was the first message sent on the public system? More...

Today's Birthday

Richard II of England (1367) Richard II was perhaps the most enigmatic of the English kings, reigning from 1377 to 1399. He inherited the throne as a boy, but his uncle John of Gaunt and other nobles dominated the government, limiting his power. Taking revenge, he banished John's son, Henry, and confiscated his vast Lancastrian estates. Not long after, while Richard was away on an expedition, Henry returned and seized power. Forced to abdicate, Richard was imprisoned and died in captivity. What likely caused his death? More...

Quotation of the Day
Pure and complete sorrow is as impossible as pure and complete joy. Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910)

Idiom of the Day
look (at something) through rose-colored glasses — To assume a generally optimistic and cheerful attitude (toward something); to focus on the positive aspects (of something). Primarily heard in US. More...

Today's Holiday

Three Kings Day in Native American Pueblos (2025) Three Kings Day is the day for the installation of new officers and governors at most of the 19 Native American pueblos in New Mexico. The inaugural day begins with a church ceremony during which four walking canes, the symbols of authority, are passed on to the new governor. The governor is honored with a dance, which starts in mid-morning and is usually some form of an animal dance—often the Eagle, Elk, Buffalo, and Deer dances. Spirited and animated, they are considered a form of prayer. More...