Daily Content Archive

Word of the Day
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Article of the Day

The Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna was one of the most important international conferences in European history. Ambassadors from all of the major European powers attended the congress, whose main purpose was to redraw the continent's political map following the defeat of Napoleonic France. The French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars had swept away Europe's entire structure, and determining new borders was a complex process. What controversial diplomat wrote his Harvard doctoral dissertation on this congress? More...

This Day in History

Bugs Bunny Makes His Debut (1940) Though an unnamed bunny appeared in Merrie Melodies cartoons in the 1930s, the true Bugs Bunny was born with the 1940 release of "A Wild Hare," in which a clever, mischievous Bugs plays pranks on his hapless nemesis, a hunter named Elmer Fudd. Bugs went on to become one of the most well-known and beloved cartoon characters of all time, perhaps second only to Mickey Mouse. "A Wild Hare" was nominated for an Oscar the same year that another cartoon introduced what pair of cartoon rivals? More...

Today's Birthday

Vladimir Galaktionovich Korolenko (1853) Korolenko was a Ukrainian-Russian writer. Arrested for revolutionary activities in 1879, he was sent to various places of exile where he wrote many of his lyrical short stories, notable for their descriptions of desolate nature and the lives of the poor. After 1895, he devoted himself to liberal journalism. Greatly honored in Russia, he reservedly welcomed the 1917 revolution but later opposed the Bolsheviks. His most famous story, "Makar's Dream," describes a dying peasant's dream—of what? More...

Quotation of the Day
The world in general doesn't know what to make of originality; it is startled out of its comfortable habits of thought, and its first reaction is one of anger. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965)

Idiom of the Day
penguin suit — slang A man's formal evening wear, i.e., a tuxedo. More...

Today's Holiday

Marlboro Music Festival (2025) It was the noted violinist Adolf Busch who came up with the idea of establishing a community for musicians that would free them from the pressures and restrictions of concert life. Every summer since 1951, artists from all over the world have gathered in Marlboro, Vermont, to exchange musical ideas. The Marlboro Music School, which holds an eight-week session each summer, is primarily a place where students can study contemporary and classical chamber music. During the festival, the general public has an opportunity to hear the results of their collaborations. More...