Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, January 17, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
![]() Popeye Makes His Debut in the Thimble Theater Comic Strip (1929)Popeye, the popular cartoon character who turns from sailor to strongman with a few swallows of spinach, started out as a minor character in the Thimble Theater comic strip. In its early days, the strip starred Olive Oyl and her boyfriend, Ham Gravy. However, after cartoonist E.C. Segar introduced Popeye, he became so popular that his role was expanded, and he soon replaced Ham as Olive's love interest, going on adventures with her brother, Castor Oyl, and facing what nemesis? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
![]() Mack Sennett (1880)Sennett was an American movie director, considered the father of slapstick comedy in film. After directing comedies under the tutelage of D.W. Griffith, he left to form his own Keystone Company and produced the first American feature-length comedy, Tillie's Punctured Romance, in 1914. He made more than 1,000 comedy shorts, often featuring the wild antics of the Keystone Kops, and received a special Academy Award in 1937. As an actor, Sennett played what iconic character in several films? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
lose (one's) buttons— To be or become mentally deficient, incompetent, or deranged; to become of unsound mind. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
![]() Benjamin Franklin's Birthday (2025)Born in Boston on this day in 1706, Benjamin Franklin helped edit, and was a signer of, the Declaration of Independence. He also helped to frame the Constitution. When he died in 1790 in Philadelphia, he was given the most impressive funeral that city had ever seen: 20,000 people attended. In Philadelphia, the Franklin Institute Science Museum holds a two-day "birthday bash" that often involves people dressing as Franklin. The celebration takes place on the weekend preceding Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which is the Monday after January 15. More... | |


