Daily Content Archive

Word of the Day
laconic Definition: (adjective) Using or marked by the use of few words; terse or concise. Synonyms: curt, crisp Usage: Their father, though very laconic in his expressions of pleasure, was really glad to see them.

Article of the Day

Snoring Snoring occurs when the soft palate, uvula, tongue, tonsils, or muscles in the back of the throat rub against each other and generate vibrations during sleep. One in five adults is a chronic snorer, and nearly half of normal adults snore occasionally. The likelihood that a person snores increases with age, and about half of people over 60 snore regularly. Snoring can sometimes be remedied by sleeping on one's side rather than on one's back. What are some treatment methods for more serious cases? More...

This Day in History

First Wal-Mart Store Opens in Rogers, Arkansas (1962) Now the world's largest corporation, the Walmart chain of superstores was founded by Sam Walton, a former US Army Captain with an economics degree. Walton owned and ran a chain of five-and-dime stores in Arkansas before he opened his first Wal-Mart store in 1962. In the 50 years since, the company, which sells brand-name goods in high volume at low prices, has flourished. It now has 8,500 stores operating in over a dozen countries. What was the last US state to get a Walmart? More...

Today's Birthday

Hermann Hesse (1877) Hesse was German novelist and poet who wrote about the individual's search for spiritual fulfillment, often through mysticism. His major works include Siddhartha and Steppenwolf. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1946. At around the time of his death in 1962, his novels began to enjoy a revival of popularity due to their association with some of the themes of the 1960s counterculture movement. What fellow German writers did Hesse help to escape from the Nazis? More...

Quotation of the Day
How is it that the poets have said so many fine things about our first love, so few about our later love? Are their first poems their best? Or are not those the best which come from their fuller thought, their larger experience, their deeper-rooted affections? George Eliot (1819-1880)

Idiom of the Day
be on (one's) best behavior — To be very polite or exercise exceptionally good manners. Primarily heard in US. More...

Today's Holiday

Bahia Independence Day (2025) The consolidation of Brazilian independence in the state of Bahia is remembered each year with a procession following the path that the Brazilians took when they defeated Portuguese troops there in 1823. Folkloric characters like the caboclo, who symbolizes the superiority of native strength over the colonizers, have worked their way into this primarily civic celebration. More...