Daily Content Archive

Word of the Day
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Article of the Day

Goiters A goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid gland that can lead to a prominent swelling in the front of the neck—sometimes nearly doubling its size. While the thyroid normally weighs 0.5 to 0.9 oz (15 to 25 g), goitrous thyroid glands can grow to more than 2 lb (1,000 g) and may interfere with breathing and swallowing and cause a choking feeling. A goiter can be caused by underproduction or overproduction of hormones, but endemic goiter, the most common type, results from a deficiency of what? More...

This Day in History

First Emmy Awards for Excellence in Television (1949) The Emmy Awards are given for outstanding achievement in US television. They are presented by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, which was founded in 1946 and which held the first award ceremony in 1949. Its members vote on outstanding programs, actors, directors, and writers in such categories as drama, comedy, and variety. The Emmy's name is taken from the nickname "immy" for the image orthicon, a television camera tube. Who won the very first Emmy? More...

Today's Birthday

Govert Teuniszoon Flinck (1615) A student of Rembrandt, Flinck was a Dutch painter who is remembered mainly for his numerous portraits, many of which are held in the Rijks Museum in Amsterdam. Among his most famous works is the Blessing of Jacob, one of his many religious subjects. However, Flinck was also known for painting scenes from history, such as the Peace of Münster, which illustrates the famous treaty with 19 life-size figures. Flinck even painted his own likeness in the canvas. Where is it? More...

Quotation of the Day
I hold any writer sufficiently justified who is himself in love with his theme. Henry James (1843-1916)

Idiom of the Day
low man on the ladder — The person (not necessarily male) with the least amount of experience, authority, and/or influence in a social or corporate hierarchy. More...

Today's Holiday

Burns Night (2024) Burns Night is the anniversary of the birthday of Scottish poet Robert Burns. The day is celebrated not only in Scotland but also in Newfoundland, and wherever there are devotees of this lusty poet. The celebrations generally take the form of recitations of Burns's poetry, the imbibing of quantities of single-malt Scotch whiskey, and the serving of haggis, a Scottish dish made of a sheep's or calf's innards (liver, heart, etc.) boiled in its stomach. At the point of the carving of the haggis, it is traditional to recite "To a Haggis," with its line, "Great chieftain o' the pudding race!" More...