Daily Content Archive

Word of the Day
gangly Definition: (adjective) Tall and thin and having long slender limbs. Synonyms: lanky, rangy Usage: The gangly man's suit sleeves and pant legs flapped like empty fire hoses as he walked.

Article of the Day

The Dissolution of the Monasteries Between 1536 and 1541, English King Henry VIII disbanded hundreds of monasteries and convents in England, appropriating their lands and stripping them of everything of value—including their roofs. Henry carried out this program of dissolution as head of the Church of England, transferring a massive amount of land, wealth, and income to the crown. The monks and nuns were absorbed into their orders, but the dissolution of the monasteries led to the loss of what culturally valuable institutions? More...

This Day in History

Algerian Leader Muhammad Boudiaf Assassinated (1992) Boudiaf was an Algerian political leader and a founder of the National Liberation Front, which directed the Algerian War of Independence (1954-1962) against France. Boudiaf was captured in 1956 and imprisoned. He was freed after Algeria gained independence, but his opposition to the new regime led to a 27-year exile. In 1992, he was invited back to head the government and deal with rising religious influence in politics. Months later, he was assassinated by a bodyguard while doing what? More...

Today's Birthday

Giacomo Leopardi (1798) Leopardi was an Italian poet and scholar who suffered throughout his life from chronic physical ailments and dashed hopes. Despite these challenges, he was devoted to philosophy and the classics from early childhood and became one of the most formidable linguists and writers of his time. His pessimistic poetry is admired for its brilliance, intensity, and musicality. He is considered among the great Italian poets of the 19th century. What are some of his most famous works? More...

Quotation of the Day
A man can never quite understand a boy, even when he has been the boy. Gilbert Chesterton (1874-1936)

Idiom of the Day
an/the olive branch — A symbol, expression, or gesture of peace, reconciliation, truce, etc. Used most commonly in the phrase "hold out/offer (someone) an/the olive branch." More...

Today's Holiday

Mnarja (2025) Mnarja is the principal folk festival of Malta and a public holiday there, thought to have been originally a harvest festival. It is held in Buskett Gardens, a park with extensive vineyards and orange and lemon orchards not far from Mdina, Malta's medieval capital. Festivities begin on the eve of Mnarja with an agricultural show that continues through the next morning and folk-singing and folk-music competitions. The traditional food of the evening is fried rabbit. On the following day, bareback horse and donkey races bring the feast to an end. More...