Daily Content Archive

Word of the Day
overweening Definition: (adjective) Unrestrained, especially with regard to feelings. Synonyms: extravagant, exuberant, excessive Usage: It may be all right, sir, but I have no overweening reliance on the faith of these marquesses, or marquis, as they call themselves.

Article of the Day

The Wild Man of the Woods The woodwose, or hairy wild man of the woods, was the Sasquatch figure of medieval Europe. Seen as a link between civilized humans and dangerous, elf-like woodland spirits, the woodwose is depicted in a wide range of images, including carvings in the Canterbury Cathedral and 16th-century European coats of arms. References to the creature are found in stories by J.R.R. Tolkien. What happened to France's King Charles VI and five of his courtiers when they dressed as woodwoses for a masquerade? More...

This Day in History

Louis Pasteur Successfully Tests His Rabies Vaccine (1885) Pasteur was a pioneer in the field of germ theory. In 1881, the inventor of pasteurization perfected a way to isolate and weaken germs, and he went on to develop a vaccine against anthrax in sheep. He soon turned his attention to researching rabies. In 1885, he inoculated a 9-year-old boy who had been badly mauled by a rabid dog. The vaccine likely prevented the boy from contracting rabies, which then meant certain death. How did Pasteur's chickens accidentally get vaccinated against cholera? More...

Today's Birthday

Merv Griffin (1925) Originally a singer and nightclub performer, Griffin first achieved wider fame in the early 1950s with the hit song I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts. He then shifted his focus to television, hosting The Merv Griffin Show from 1965 to 1986. He created the popular game shows Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! and wrote the latter's famous theme song. Later, he invested in casinos, resorts, and hotels. What humorous epitaph was inscribed on his gravestone? More...

Quotation of the Day
There are certain narrow, unimaginative, and autocratic old people who seem to call out the most mischievous, and sometimes the worst traits in children. Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856-1923)

Idiom of the Day
through the grapevine — Through or via an informal means of communication or information, especially gossip. More...

Today's Holiday

Lithuania Statehood Day (2025) Lithuania Statehood Day is a national holiday observed on July 6. On this day, Lithuanians honor the coronation of Mindaugas, who became the first and only king of a unified Lithuania in 1253, bringing the Baltic people together under his leadership. In 2003 Lithuanians celebrated the 750th anniversary of his crowning with a series of cultural activities, including operas, folk music concerts, parades, and festivals. Mindaugas founded the first independent Lithuanian state in 1240, and he is generally credited with bringing Christianity to the country for the first time. More...