Daily Content Archive

Word of the Day
admonitory Definition: (adjective) Serving to warn. Synonyms: cautionary, exemplary Usage: Bella, entering with a raised admonitory finger, kissed Lizzie softly, but said not a word.

Article of the Day

Haboobs A haboob is a strong wind and sand storm. Although haboobs are most common in Sudan, where about 24 occur each year, they can arise in many arid environments and are not uncommon in the American Southwest. They are often preceded by thunderstorms. Once a thunderstorm begins releasing precipitation, its winds change direction. When the downdraft reaches the ground, it stirs up loose sand, sending a wall of sand through the air at high speeds. "Haboob" comes from an Arabic word meaning what? More...

This Day in History

The Battle of Wagram Begins (1809) The two-day Battle of Wagram signaled the end of the 1809 War of the Fifth Coalition between the kingdoms of Austria and France. Due to the battle's then-unprecedented use of artillery, both sides suffered tens of thousands of casualties. The Austrians were broken by the battle. Napoleon's victory forced Archduke Charles of Austria to accept unfavorable armistice conditions, stripping Austria of land and subjects. The battle might have ended differently if who had shown up in time? More...

Today's Birthday

David Glasgow Farragut (1801) Adopted by a naval officer as a child, Farragut began his naval career as a midshipman at age nine. During the US Civil War, he ran his ships past Confederate forts to capture New Orleans. The victory earned him a prominent place in the Union navy. He was again promoted in 1864, after leading a successful assault on a heavily mined Confederate port. Famously, upon losing a ship during the attack, he allegedly cried out "Damn the torpedoes–full speed ahead!" What naval rank was created for him? More...

Quotation of the Day
A very few—as heroes, patriots, martyrs, reformers in the great sense, and men—serve the state with their consciences also, and so necessarily resist it for the most part; and they are commonly treated as enemies by it. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Idiom of the Day
on the fiddle — Engaged in deceitful, fraudulent, or dishonest means of obtaining money. More...

Today's Holiday

Beiteddine Festival (2025) The Beiteddine Festival, held in a magnificent 200-year-old palace in this town in the Chouf region of Lebanon, has presented world-class offerings in the arts since 1985. Organizers defied the struggles of Lebanon's civil war by staging this celebration of human culture. Many performers are Lebanese, but artists from around the world also are invited. The 2001 festival, for example, included a concert by Elton John, a production of Victor Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris, and Turkish folk musician Kudsi Erguner, as well as a performance by the Lebanese singer Fairouz. More...