Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, December 23, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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slacker
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| Article of the Day | |
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 The Lily of the ValleyThe lily of the valley, or Convallaria majalis, lives in shady places and has delicate bell-shaped, fragrant white flowers that grow on a stalk between two shiny leaves. This common garden plant is a symbol of humility in religious paintings. It has also long been used medicinally for cardiac disorders—even though it contains poisonous substances and has been labeled unsafe by the US Food and Drug Administration. The lily of the valley is the national flower of what country? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 George Washington Resigns as Commander-in-Chief (1783)After demonstrating exemplary leadership as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolution, George Washington resigned his commission and retired to Mount Vernon, Virginia. By resigning his military post, Washington established the important precedent that civilian-elected officials possess ultimate authority over the armed forces. After a brief retirement, he was elected the country's first president. Why was he given a posthumous military promotion in 1976? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Helmut Schmidt (1918)Schmidt is a German Social Democratic statesman who was the chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982. His administration was characterized by a tough approach to the worldwide economic recession of the era. He was committed to improving relations with East Germany and the USSR, and he succeeded in cultivating ties with France, encouraging economic cooperation among western European nations, and maintaining close relations with the US. Why was he the subject of a police inquiry in 2008? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Each had his past shut in him like the leaves of a book known to him by heart; and his friends could only read the title.Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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flap (one's) gums— To chatter or blather. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Festivus (2022)The holiday of Festivus first originated on the Seinfeld television program in the 1990s. The character Frank Costanza, father of George Costanza, invented the holiday when he found that the usual year-end holidays did not fulfill him. Festivus, he explains, is "for the rest of us." To mark Festivus, a plain aluminum pole is placed in a bucket of cement. One by one, those present grab the pole and air their grievances about how other people disappointed them in the past year. After this comes the "feats of strength," in which all those present try to subdue the head of the household. More... | |