Daily Content Archive

Word of the Day
erudition Definition: (noun) Profound scholarly knowledge. Synonyms: encyclopedism, learning, scholarship Usage: They, like himself, had been bred in the studious cloisters of a university, and were supposed to possess all the erudition which mankind has hoarded up from age to age.

Article of the Day

Posie Rings Posie rings—also known as poesy or posy rings—were tokens of love in England made popular in Medieval times. Sometimes worn as wedding rings, they were engraved with short, often rhyming expressions of love, friendship, or fidelity. Thousands of French and English posie-ring sayings have been recorded over the years, including "in thee my choyce I do rejoice," "God above increase our love," and "let this present my good intent." What other sentimental inscriptions are found on surviving rings? More...

This Day in History

Isaac Singer Granted Patent for Sewing Machine (1851) Before the advent of the sewing machine, sewing was a laborious task. Singer's 1851 sewing machine patent made him a very rich man. Several other people laid claim to having invented the sewing machine, notably Elias Howe, who won a lawsuit against Singer for infringement. Nevertheless, Singer's company was already well established and was able to pool its patents with other claimants to avoid litigation. At times, Singer used alternate names to accomplish what scandalous feat? More...

Today's Birthday

Ross and Norris McWhirter (1925) In 1954, a few years after identical twins Norris and Ross McWhirter founded a London fact-finding agency, they met a director of the Guinness brewing company, Sir Hugh Beaver, who commissioned a compilation of world records that was intended to settle bar-room disputes. The first edition of the McWhirters' Guinness Book of Records was given to bars for free as a marketing gimmick, but the book quickly became a phenomenal success. In 1975, Ross was assassinated. Why? More...

Quotation of the Day
The sky was clear—remarkably clear—and the twinkling of all the stars seemed to be but throbs of one body, timed by a common pulse. Thomas Hardy (1840-1928)

Idiom of the Day
quake like a leaf — To tremble violently with fear or nervousness. More...

Today's Holiday
The Glorious Twelfth (2021) August 12 is the legal opening of grouse season in Scotland. If the 12th falls on a Sunday, Grouse Day is the following day. Because grouse-shooting has always played such a central role in the life of Scottish gentlemen, the occasion is referred to as the Glorious Twelfth and is observed as a social event by Scots around the world. More...