December 10, 2015
Word of the Day
|
Definition:
|
(noun) A tower with a light that gives warning of shoals to passing ships. |
Synonyms: |
lighthouse, beacon
|
Usage: |
The pharos was no longer operational and served as a tourist attraction in the sleepy beach town. |
Article of the Day
The Eurovision Song Contest
|
Discuss
|
|
|
More than 50 years after the annual Eurovision Song Contest was first broadcast, it remains one of the most watched non-sporting events in the world. Participating nations submit songs, and the live performance is broadcast simultaneously to all countries in the Eurovision Network. The participant states then vote for the winner, but are not allowed to vote for their own country's entry. What country abolished its normal tourist visa requirements to coincide with its hosting of the contest?
More...
|
This Day in History
Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat Share Nobel Peace Prize (1978)
|
Discuss
|
|
|
In 1978, a historic peace summit was held between Israel and Egypt at the US presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland. Now known as the Camp David Accords, the pact was signed in 1979 by Begin, the Israeli prime minister, and Sadat, the Egyptian president—who shared the Nobel Peace Prize for their efforts—with US President Jimmy Carter as a witness. Under the pact, which was denounced by other Arab states, Israel agreed to return the Sinai to Egypt. What happened after the accord was signed?
More...
|
Today's Birthday
|
|
In 1876, while working as a college librarian, Dewey developed a decimal-based system for organizing the contents of a library by subject category, indicated by a three-digit numeral, with further specification expressed by numerals following a decimal point. He established the first library training school and the American Library Association and is also credited with inventing the vertical office file. A cofounder of the Spelling Reform Association, Dewey respelled his own name in what way?
More...
|
Today's Holiday
|
|
In 1932, Thailand's absolute monarchy was replaced with a constitutional monarchy. King Rama VII oversaw the transfer of power. Under the newly instituted constitution of that time, the monarchy remained in place and the king was designated the head of state. Thailand has had a series of 18 constitutions or charters since 1932, the latest one being adopted in 2007. Each has allowed for a constitutional monarchy with greater or lesser power. Celebrations on Constitution Day involve the people thanking the monarchy for granting them a chance to take part in running the country.
More...
|
Quote of the Day
|
|
A superhuman will is needed in order to write, and I am only a man.
Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880)
|
In the News
Goodbye to Dental Fillings? "No-Drill" Techniques Can Treat Tooth Decay, Study Says
|
Discuss
|
|
|
If you've ever endured a dental filling based on the advice that there's no other way to stop tooth decay before it gets worse, you may be a bit, well, annoyed when you hear about the latest study on this topic. In a seven-year study involving 1,000 ...
More...
|
Mobile apps from TheFreeDictionary.com
|
The classic free version, downloaded more than 6 million times!
- Multiple dictionaries, encyclopedias, and thesauruses in one place.
- 14 languages: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Norwegian, Greek, Arabic, Polish, Turkish, and Russian.
- Online translations of English into more than 40 languages, plus dozens of other translation options.
|
|
|
The PRO version, with expanded offline content.
- No ads.
- A more comprehensive English offline dictionary, plus 13 other offline dictionaries: Spanish, French, German, Italian, Simplified Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Norwegian, Greek, Arabic, Polish, Turkish, and Russian.
- Offline translations of English into more than 40 languages, plus dozens of other offline translation options.
- Plus all the content of the classic free app!
|
|
|