June 29, 2011

Word of the Day:

Catawampus - awry; askew; crooked.

The house was a bit catawampus after the sleepover.

Quote:

When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.

- Helen Keller.

Fact:

Another way people are all different from each other, besides fingerprints, is their tongue print. Tongue prints are unique to every person.

Fact About the Day:

On June 29, 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the bill known as the Federal Highway Act into law. This law authorized the construction of 41,000 miles of interstate highways. It's original cost authorization was $25 billion with 90% of the costs being paid for by the Highway Trust Fund and the other 10% coming from the states.

June 28, 2011

Word of the Day:

Ignoble - inferior; of low grade; someone who is not noble.

His motives for changing things were ignoble.

Quote:

Friends and good manners will carry you where money won't go.

- Margaret Walker

Fact:

If you ever need a deep tunnel dug, you should call a mole. A mole can dig a hole 300 feet long in one night.

Fact About the Day:

On June 28, 1894, the first of a chain of events leading to World War I took place. Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie were shot by a Bosnian Serb nationalist. Five years later, to the day, the Allied Powers along with Germany signed the Treaty of Versailles, marking the official end of the first World War.

June 27, 2011

Word of the Day:

Flibbertigibbet - Someone who is silly, flighty, irresponsible, or a gossip.

The group of girls were being flibbertigibbets as they talked about other people.

Quote:

A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.

- Elbert Hubbard

Fact:

When someone says they will be back in a jiffy, you shouldn't believe them. A jiffy is a unit of time and is only 1/100 of a second.

Fact About the Day:

On June 27, 1880, Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama. After falling ill at only 19 months old, Helen was left blind and deaf. Helen became the first deaf-blind person to have earned a Bachelor of Arts degree, which she received from Radcliffe College. Throughout her life, Helen was an author, lecturer, and a political activist. Helen also spent many of her later years devoted to raising money for the American Foundation for the Blind.

June 26, 2011

Word of the Day:

Enraptured - to be delighted beyond measure.

The sisters were enraptured at the thought of having a new baby brother.

Quote:

Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.

- Mark Twain

Fact:

If you ever tell a goldfish a secret that you don't want anyone else to know about, you won't have to worry about it for long... a goldfish only has a 3 second memory span.

Fact About the Day:

On June 26, 1870, America's first beachfront boardwalk opened in Atlantic City, New Jersey. By 1870, Atlantic City had already become a popular winter spa and summer resort. Alexander Boardman brought about the idea of constructing a boardwalk to help keep sand out of hotels and railroad cars. For many years, at the end of the summer season the boardwalk would be taken apart and stored for the winter.

June 25, 2011

Word of the Day:

Trepidation - tremor; quivering or trembling movement; shaking.

The thought of flunking the exam caused trepidation.

Quote:

Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.

- Mark Twain

Fact:

As they are immune to all known diseases, sharks are very healthy animals.

Fact About the Day:

On June 25, 1868, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina, the first of the former Confederate states, were readmitted to the Union.

June 24, 2011

Word of the Day:

Hypocorism - the act of using pet names.

Quote:

Against the assault of laughter nothing can stand.

- Mark Twain

Fact:

Squirrels are wonderful tree planters. They gather and bury nuts for food, but forget where they buried them.

Fact About the Day:

On June 24, 1948, the Soviet Union blocked all rail and road traffic going to and coming from West Berlin. After being in place only two days, the United States began airlifting supplies to the people of West Berlin and continued to do so until the blockade was lifted. The blockade officially ended on May 12, 1949.

June 23, 2011

Word of the Day:

Boisterous - noisy or rough; unrestrained; turbulent.

The sea was very boisterous with the storm.

Quote:

Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.

- Mark Twain

Fact:

A butterfly doesn't taste with its tongue, in fact they taste with their feet, which is where their taste buds are located.

Fact About the Day:

On June 23, 1989, the film Batman was released in theaters. Bruce Wayne was played by Michael Keaton with Jack Nicholson co-starring as the Joker and Kim Basinger playing Vicki Vale.

June 22, 2011

Word of the Day:

Baffle - to be perplexed or confused.

The man was baffled by the mystery.

Quote:

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so.

- William Shakespeare

Fact:

In the wild, a lions roar can be heard from as far away as five miles.

Fact About the Day:

On June 22, 1945, the battle of Okinawa ended. It was one of the bloodiest battles of Word War 2. The invasion of Okinawa began on April 1 of the same year. In defending Okinawa, the Japanese lost 120,000 soldiers while the Americans lost 12,500 with 35,000 other soldiers wounded.

June 21, 2011

Word of the Day:

Indubitable - cannot be doubted.

The truth is indubitable.

Quote:

Learn from the past, set vivid, detailed goals for the future, and live in the only moment of time over which you have any control: now.

- Dennis Waitley

Fact:

One reason that you may not be able to keep your eyes open when you sneeze, is because sneezes usually leave your body at or above 100 mph. Also another reason to cover your mouth when you sneeze.

Fact About the Day:

On June 21, 1997, the tip off for the first WNBA (Women's National Basketball Association) game took place in Los Angeles. The teams facing off were New York Liberty and Los Angeles Sparks. New York took home the win beating their opponent 67-57.

If you have any questions or comments about the blog, feel free to post. Come back tomorrow to learn something new and subscribe to the blog if you like it!

June 20, 2011

Word of the Day:

Rapturously - to feel ecstatic; to be excited; to be overjoyed.

The crowd clapped rapturously at the exciting announcement.

Quote:

If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths, rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success.

- John D. Rockefeller

Fact:

The largest animal on earth weighs 150 tons and can grow to be 100 feet long. It is the blue whale.

Fact About the Day:

On June 20, 1975, the hit movie Jaws was released in theaters. Steven Spielberg produced the film and it was based on the novel written by Peter Benchley. There were several sequels that followed the original Jaws film, namely: Jaws 2, Jaws 3 (or Jaws 3-D), and Jaws: The Revenge. The film eventually made over $470 million worldwide, the highest grossing movie until Star Wars made its debut a few years later.

June 19, 2011

Word of the Day:

Egregious - to act in a very bad manner; incredible in a bad way.

They made an egregious mistake when they broke mother's china.

Quote:

Even if you fall on your face, you're still moving forward.

- Victor Kiam

Fact:

Including your heart, all of your bodily functions cease when you sneeze.

Fact About the Day:

On June 19, 1862, slavery was banned throughout the United States. Slavery, however, did not end immediately. There are a few different arguments as to when slavery actually, truly ended. Some say that it ended in 1865, others believe that because of some of the South's laws that slavery did not end until the late 1920's.

If you have any questions or comments about the blog, please feel free to post. Come back tomorrow to learn something else new and subscribe to the blog if you like it!

June 18, 2011

Word of the Day:

Antiquated - old; obsolete, out-dated.

The antiquated sewing machine is an antique.

Quote:

Determine never to be idle. No person will have occasion to complain of the want of time who never loses any. It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing.

- Thomas Jefferson

Fact:

Wisdom teeth are mostly useless. These days wisdom teeth do not do much more than crowd your mouth and sometimes cause pain.

Fact About the Day:

On June 18, 1983, Sally Ride became known as the first American woman in space. This expedition took place on the rocket ship Challenger. Sally Ride went back up into space a year later and was preparing for a third flight when the Challenger exploded in 1986. She spent more than 343 hours in space.

If you have any questions or comments about the blog, please feel free to post. Come back tomorrow to learn something else new and subscribe to the blog if you like it!

June 17, 2011

Word of the Day:

Permeate - to diffuse through or penetrate something. To completely go through something.

The bright light permeated the room.

Quote:

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.

- William James

Fact:

You can't tickle yourself. Try it.

Fact About the Day:

On June 17, 1885, the Statue of Liberty arrived in America. She arrived in a whopping 350 pieces, once assembled, she weighed 225 tons, and is 151 feet tall! The Statue of Liberty was a gift from France recognizing the friendship established during the American Revolution. The Statue of Liberty has welcomed millions of immigrants to this country and was the first thing most saw when coming here by boat. Lady Liberty was dedicated on October 28th, 1886.

If you have any questions or comments about the blog, please feel free to post. Come back tomorrow to learn something else new and subscribe to the blog if you like it!

June 16, 2011

Word of the Day:

Fastidious - excessively particular, critical or demanding; hard to please. (Dictionary.com)

Someone who is fastidious may be particularly hard to please or pays excessive amounts of attention to detail.

Quote:

All your dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them.

-Walt Disney

Fact:

It takes more muscles to frown than to smile.

Fact About the Day:

On June 16, 1884, the first roller coaster in America opened on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York. The coaster was called The Gravity Pleasure Ride or the Gravity Pleasure Switchback Railway. It was invented by LaMarcus Thompson and only cost a nickel ($0.05) to ride. The coaster only went 6mph for 600 feet and passengers could only ride point-to-point instead of in a loop. This was because the coaster relied solely on gravity for its speed.

If you have any questions or comments about the the blog, please feel free to post. Come back tomorrow to learn something else new and subscribe to the blog if you like it!

Introduction

Have you ever thought about expanding your vocabulary? What about learning new facts to impress family or friends? If you have, then you have come to the right place! My goal in this blog is to give readers not only a new word everyday, but also interesting facts and quotes. I will also include in each post a fact about the day.