Category Archives: Vocabulary

Today in History (January 18th): Dilbert of the Day 1689: Birthdays: French philosopher Montesquieu. 1778: James Cook became the first European to reach the Hawaiian Islands. He called them the Sandwich Islands. 1779: Birthdays: English physician Peter Roget, who compiled … Continue reading →

Today in History (January 17th): 1605: Don Quixote was published. 1706: Birthdays: American statesman, scientist and author Benjamin Franklin. 1806: The first baby was born in the White House, the grandson of U.S. President Thomas Jefferson. 1863: Birthdays: British statesman … Continue reading →

Today in History (January 16th): 1581: The English Parliament outlawed Roman Catholicism. 1777: Vermont declared independence from New York. 1838: Birthdays: German philosopher Franz Brentano. 1853: Birthdays: Andre Michelin, the French industrialist who first mass-produced rubber automobile tires. 1874: Birthdays: … Continue reading →

Today in History (January 15th): 1622: Birthdays: French playwright Moliere (born Jean-Baptiste Poquelin). 1716: Birthdays: Signer of the Declaration of Independence Philip Livingston. 1759: The British Museum opened. 1844: Birthdays: Outlaw Cole Younger. 1866: Birthdays: Swedish clergyman and Nobel Peace … Continue reading →

Today in History (January 14th): 1639: The first constitution in the American colonies, the Fundamental Orders, was adopted in Hartford, Conn., by representatives of Wethersfield, Windsor and Hartford. 1690: The clarinet was invented in Nuremberg, Germany. 1741: Birthdays: American turncoat … Continue reading →

Today in History (January 13th): 1808: Birthdays: Salmon P. Chase, sixth Chief Justice of the United States and whose image is on the U.S. $10,000 bill. 1832: Birthdays: Horatio Alger, author of rags-to-riches stories. 1854: Anthony Faas patented the accordion. … Continue reading →

Today in History (January 11th): 1757: Birthdays: American statesman Alexander Hamilton, first secretary of the U.S. Treasury. 1785: The Continental Congress convened in New York City. 1787: William Herschel discovered two moons of Uranus. They are named Titania and Oberon. … Continue reading →

Today in History (January 10th): 0049 B.C.: Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon, beginning the Roman civil war. 1776: Common Sense by political philosopher Thomas Paine was published. The pamphlet advocated American independence from England. 1861: Florida seceded from the United … Continue reading →