Daily Content Archive

Word of the Day
farrago Definition: (noun) An assortment or a medley; a conglomeration. Synonyms: hodgepodge, omnium-gatherum, melange, mingle-mangle, mishmash, oddments, odds and ends, ragbag Usage: If the farrago of newspaper clippings, stale coffee mugs, and chewed-on pencils strewn around the office was any indication, her boss had been at the office all night.

Article of the Day

Toothpaste Though toothpaste as we know it today is only about a century old, dental hygiene has long concerned human beings. The ancient Greeks and Romans cleaned their teeth with abrasive mixtures using crushed bones and oyster shells, a far cry from the hydrogen peroxide-and-baking soda formulas of the 19th century. In 1892, American dentist Washington Sheffield became the first to sell toothpaste in a tube—today the standard in toothpaste packaging. What had inspired him to package it like that? More...

This Day in History

Gertrude Ederle Becomes First Woman to Swim across the English Channel (1926) Only five men had managed to swim across the 35-mile (56-km) English Channel by the time Ederle became the first woman to make the trip. On her second attempt, the 19-year-old Olympic medalist from America made the swim from France to England in 14 hours and 31 minutes—beating the male record-holder by two hours. Hours before Ederle reached England, the weather deteriorated. A supporter following her by boat called out and urged her to get out of the water. What was Ederle's reply? More...

Today's Birthday

Lucille Désirée Ball (1911) Ball was the star of the tremendously popular 1950s television show I Love Lucy. Prior to her superstardom, Ball appeared in many B-movies, earning the nickname "Queen of the B's." With her rasping voice and a comic persona alternately brassy and feminine, she became the preeminent female star of the early decades of television. She and costar Desi Arnaz, married in real life and on I Love Lucy, divorced after the show ended. In what other shows and films did Ball appear? More...

Quotation of the Day
When the tyrant has disposed of foreign enemies by conquest or treaty, and there is nothing more to fear from them, then he is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader. Plato (427 BC-347 BC)

Idiom of the Day
be put behind bars — To be arrested and held in prison; to be serving time in prison. More...

Today's Holiday

Busan Sea Festival (2025) Every August since 1999, the municipal government of the seaside town of Busan in South Korea has sponsored a nine-day Sea Festival on its main beaches. The festival kicks off with an opening ceremony featuring performances by popular singers and other entertainers and culminates that night in a spectacular fireworks display. Over the course of the festival, a variety of water sports are offered, as well as the Hanbada Festival for the Disabled and championship competitions in windsurfing and beach volleyball. More...