Daily Content Archive

Word of the Day
doddering Definition: (adjective) Infirm, feeble, and often senile. Synonyms: gaga, senile Usage: His mother was doddering and frail, so he hired aides to care for her around the clock.

Article of the Day

Perfect Numbers In mathematics, a perfect number is an integer that is the sum of all of its proper, positive divisors not including the number itself. The first perfect number is 6, because 1, 2, and 3 are its proper, positive divisors and 1+2+3=6. Euclid, a Hellenistic mathematician living in the third century BCE, discovered a formula that identifies the first four perfect numbers. What is the second number in this set? More...

This Day in History

Treaty of Portsmouth Ends Russo-Japanese War (1905) The Russo-Japanese War—fought over territorial claims in East Asia—was a costly endeavor both monetarily and in terms of lives lost, and both sides soon realized the need for peace. With US President Theodore Roosevelt acting as a mediator, Russian and Japanese representatives met at a US naval base near Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The resulting treaty marked the temporary decline of Russian power in East Asia and the emergence of Japan as a regional power. What territory did both agree to cede? More...

Today's Birthday

Arthur Koestler (1905) Born in Hungary, Koestler was an influential Communist journalist in Berlin in the 1930s. He was captured by fascist forces while on assignment during the Spanish Civil War and was later held in a concentration camp after the German invasion of France. In 1940, inspired by his break with Communism, he published his most important novel, Darkness at Noon, an examination of the moral dangers of totalitarianism. How did the terminally ill Koestler show his support for voluntary euthanasia? More...

Quotation of the Day
One likes to be respected as highly as his neighbors are. L. Frank Baum (1856-1919)

Idiom of the Day
sleep rough — To sleep outside at night, usually because one has no home or shelter. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. More...

Today's Holiday

Ginseng Festival (2025) This festival is a celebration of ginseng in Fusong, a county in the Changbai Mountains of China and the largest ginseng grower in the country. The people of Fusong have traditionally celebrated the ginseng harvest, and, in 1987, the government officially set aside three days for both a festival and a trade fair of ginseng products. The festival features performances of yangko, dragon, and lion dances; story-telling parties with a ginseng theme; art and photo exhibits; and a fireworks display. More...