Daily Content Archive

Word of the Day
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Article of the Day

Tidal Bores A tidal bore is an inrush of water with a wavelike front that advances up a river or narrow bay, against the current, with considerable force and velocity. It is caused by the progress of an incoming tide from a wide-mouthed bay into its narrower portion and occurs in relatively few places in the world. The largest, China's Qiantang River bore, can reach 30 ft (9 m) in height and travel as fast as 25 mph (40 km/h). Although dangerous, bores are sought out by athletes who engage in what sport? More...

This Day in History

F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby Is Published (1925) Considered to be Fitzgerald's masterpiece, The Great Gatsby is a devastating critique of the American Dream and materialism at the height of the Roaring Twenties. It is the story of a bootlegger, Jay Gatsby, whose obsessive dream of wealth and lost love is destroyed by a corrupt reality. Today used as required reading in many high schools, the book has been cited as the paragon of the Great American Novel. Why did Fitzgerald dislike the title, and what did he want to call his novel? More...

Today's Birthday

Hugo Grotius (1583) Grotius was a Dutch jurist, philosopher, and writer. He enrolled at the University of Leiden at the age of 11 and became a lawyer at 15. Among his key legal treatises is the first definitive text on international law, On the Law of War and Peace, which prescribes rules for the conduct of war and advances the idea that nations are bound by natural law. In 1615, he became involved in a religious controversy that extended to politics and was eventually imprisoned. How did he escape? More...

Quotation of the Day
We must eat to live and live to eat. Henry Fielding (1707-1754)

Idiom of the Day
(someone's) door is always open — Someone is always available to be of guidance, support, aid, or assistance whenever needed. Said especially by an employer or teacher to an employee or pupil. More...

Today's Holiday

Salvation Army Founder's Day (2025) April 10 is the day on which William Booth (1829-1912), founder of the international religious and charitable movement known as The Salvation Army, was born in Nottingham, England. With the help of his wife, Catherine, he established the East London Revival Society, which soon became known as the Christian Mission and later The Salvation Army. Although Booth's birthday is observed to varying degrees at Salvation Army outposts around the world, a major celebration was held on the organization's centennial in 1965. More...