Daily Content Archive

Word of the Day
percutaneous Definition: (adjective) Passed, done, or effected through the skin. Synonyms: transdermal Usage: I simply apply the ointment to my arm, and the medication makes its way into my bloodstream in a process called percutaneous absorption.

Article of the Day

Ley Lines Ley lines are straight lines that can be drawn between ancient landmarks and monuments around the globe. Some believe the lines emit mystical energy, especially at their intersections, and their magical properties have been featured in novels such as Thomas Pynchon's Mason & Dixon. Amateur British archaeologist Alfred Watkins is most closely associated with ley lines, but he never ascribed any supernatural qualities to them. Instead, he believed they were remnants of what? More...

This Day in History

US Secretary of State George Marshall Announces the Marshall Plan (1947) World War II left the finances and industry of Europe crippled. In 1947, Marshall proposed a plan for the US to finance the European recovery. From 1948 to 1952, it provided almost $13 billion in grants and loans to 17 countries and was a key factor in reviving their economies and stabilizing their political structures. While most of Europe embraced the plan, it was strongly opposed by the Soviet Union and some Eastern European nations. How, according to Marshall, would this plan benefit the US? More...

Today's Birthday

John Couch Adams (1819) Before the planet Neptune was discovered, Adams—an English astronomer and mathematician—correctly predicted its existence and position based on irregularities in the motion of Uranus. However, the credit for the discovery went to Urbain Leverrier, who had come to the same conclusion later but published his findings earlier. In 1846, the planet was first observed by a German astronomer using Leverrier's calculations. A modest man, Adams also declined to publish what other findings? More...

Quotation of the Day
Fashion is what one wears oneself. What is unfashionable is what other people wear. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

Idiom of the Day
(one's) moment in the sun — A brief period of time in which one is or has been particularly successful, popular, famous, etc., especially when set against an otherwise moderate or unremarkable life. More...

Today's Holiday
Denmark Constitution Day (2025) This public holiday commemorates the constitution signed on June 5, 1849, that made Denmark a constitutional monarchy, and the one signed on June 5, 1953, that created parliamentary reforms. A parade takes place in Copenhagen, and other festivities are held in villages throughout Denmark. More...