Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, December 23, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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parterre
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| Article of the Day | |
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 The Steam EngineIn a steam engine, hot steam expands under pressure, and part of the heat energy is converted into work. The idea to harness steam’s power and convert it to mechanical energy dates back 2,000 years to Hero of Alexandria and his aeolipile, but the concept was not successfully applied to the building of a power source until about 1700. Improvements to the steam engine over the next century allowed it to play a major role in the Industrial Revolution. Why is there renewed interest in steam power? 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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 Madam C.J. Walker (1867)Thought to be America's first black female millionaire, this daughter of ex-slaves was orphaned at 7, working at 10, married at 14, and a widow with an infant at 20. She worked as a domestic and laundress and in her scant spare time developed a treatment system to stop hair loss in African-American women and create smooth, shiny coiffures. She soon expanded her product line, and by 1917, her cosmetics empire was the largest black-owned business in the US. What did she do with her riches? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The evolution of man is slow. The injustice of men is great.Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) | |
| 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... | |