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May 2005Happy 100th BirthdaySay Happy Birthday to the Hot New Words of 1905. All of these words had their earliest recorded appearance 100 years ago. In all, there are 179 words in Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Eleventh Edition, whose earliest attestation dates to 1905. To see them all, select the Collegiate Dictionary as your reference and click on Advanced Search. Then type 1905 in the date field and click on Search. August 2005Happy 60th BirthdayThe events of August 1945 brought World War II to an end, but 1945 also marked the birth of words like A-bomb, frogman, and sonar. We salute the occasion with this list of more than two dozen wartime terms that date to 1945. October 2005Happy 45th BirthdayBack in October 1960, presidential candidate John F. Kennedy proposed the concept of American volunteers working in underdeveloped nations. The Peace Corps wasn’t the only new term on the lexical scene back then; this month we highlight two dozen terms that turn 45 this year. And for a complete list of the more than 100 words dating to 1960, go to the Collegiate Dictionary, click on Advanced Search and type 1960 in the Date field. November 2005Hot New Words of 1621The first American Thanksgiving was celebrated by Pilgrims and Native Americans in 1621. The month we serve up a first helping of words from that notable year. And for a complete list of the 87 words dating to 1621, go to the Collegiate Dictionary, click on Advanced Search and type 1621 in the Date field. February 2006Happy 200th BirthdayAccording to some sources, Noah Webster published his very first dictionary — A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language — in February of 1806. Two hundred years later, we share the definition of compendious and pass along a few of the words that first appeared in print in 1806. You can see all 89 entries whose print debut dates to 1806 by selecting the Collegiate Dictionary, clicking on Advanced Search, typing 1806 in the Date field, and hitting SEARCH. March 2006Happy 47th BirthdayMattel's trademarked Barbie doll debuted on March 9, 1959. That best-selling cultural icon isn't the only thing turning 47 this year; we collected a few other pop culture terms that also date to 1959. For a list of all 172 terms whose earliest known print appearance is 1959, select the Collegiate Dictionary and choose the Search Type Date. Enter 1959 in the search box, then click Search. April 2006Looking Back: 1986April 1986 was a deadly month. A bomb exploded on a TWA flight from Rome to Athens, killing four people. U.S. planes bombed Libya. And the worst nuclear accident ever occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Our look back at that frightening time includes 62 terms that made their first print appearance that year. May 2006Looking Back: 1787May 25th is the anniversary of the opening of the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia in 1787, and some of the words entering the language that year reflect that event. Our look back includes a look at some of the 82 terms that date from that year and at the role Noah Webster played at the convention.
June 2006Looking Back: 1963June 26th marks the 43rd anniversary of President Kennedy's famous 1963 "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech, delivered in Berlin in the midst of the Cold War. An urban legend has grown up about this speech, which we are happy to dispel. In addition, 1963 saw the introduction of a host of new words to the language, and we offer a partial list. October 2006Happy Birthday: Noah Webster, 1758Noah Webster was born October 16, 1758. The great American lexicographer and his famous dictionaries and speller helped establish the concept of American English. To mark the occasion, we've picked out a few colorful (and perhaps surprising) words that first appeared in print the year of Noah Webster's birth. For a full list of all 62 words, select the Collegiate as your reference, click on Advanced Search, type 1758 into the Date field, and click on Search. November 2006Happy Birthday: 1928Mickey and Minnie Mouse made their cinematic debut in Steamboat Willie, the very first sound cartoon, on November 18, 1928. Interested in words that have been around as long as those ubiquitous cartoon critters? We counted 292 terms whose print debut dates to 1928, and pulled out a few favorites. For a full list of all 292 words, select the Collegiate as your reference, click on Advanced Search, type 1928 into the Date field, and click on Search. January 2007Happy Birthday: 1882British author A.A. Milne, who was born on January 18, 1882, remains beloved for his tales of Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh. We can’t speak for either of them, but we think they might approve of some of the words that entered the language that year. For a complete list of all 273 words that first appeared in print in 1882, select the Collegiate as your reference, click on Advanced Search, type 1882 into the Date field, and click on Search. February 2007Happy Birthday: 1868Civil rights activist, scholar, educator, and writer William Edward Burghardt DuBois was born February 23, 1868. To note the occasion, we look at some of the words that entered the language in 1868. For a complete list of all 218 words that first appeared in print in 1868, select the Collegiate as your reference, then click on Advanced Search. Type 1868 into the Date field and click on Search. March 2007Looking Back: 1950FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover began the Ten Most Wanted program on March 14, 1950. Since then, more than 400 fugitives appearing on the list have been captured. Nineteen fifty was also the year in which 275 terms in the Collegiate Dictionary made their first known appearance in print. We captured ten of those terms we wouldn't want to be without, then another ten that we could easily do without. Interested in all 275 words? Select the Collegiate as your reference source and click on Advanced Search. Type 1950 into the Date field, and click Search. April 2007Happy Birthday: 1860The Pony Express began its short but memorable run on April 3, 1860. Over the next 18 months, dozens of men — ranging in age from 11 to mid-forties — rode horses over the 2,000-mile route to deliver the mail. The business failed, but it secured a place in history. More than 240 words first entered print the same year the Pony Express began its brief and romanticized life. We pulled out two dozen, but it's easy enough to create a complete list. Select the Collegiate as your reference, click on Advanced Search, type 1860 into the Date field, and click Search. May 2007Looking Back: 1707Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus was born May 23, 1707. What words also turn 300 years old this year? Of the fifty we found, we were able to classify eleven of them as of interest to once and future taxonomists. Interested in words from a particular year? It's easy to categorize them. Select the Collegiate as your reference, click on Advanced Search, type the year into the Date field, and click Search. June 2007Happy Birthday: 1967June 16 – 18 marks the fortieth anniversary of the Monterey Pop Festival, the first major music festival to feature predominantly rock music. With performances by Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Ravi Shankar, it is often considered the high point of the Summer of Love. If all of that seems a long time ago, check out these terms which also date to that year. For a listing of all 239 words whose first print appearance traces to 1967, select the Collegiate as your reference, click on Advanced Search, type 1967 into the Date field, and click Search. September 2007Looking Back: 1997This season's commemoration of the tenth anniversary of the death of Princess Diana has prompted commentaries and recollections from many, and by now probably enough has been said. However, the event holds a particular significance in the history of Merriam-Webster Online, and this would seem the moment to tell the story. October 2007Happy Birthday: 1990After decades of division following WWII, the two countries once known as East Germany and West Germany were formally joined together on October 3, 1990. Combining two items in order to produce a third isn't limited to the business of creating countries; of the 24 terms dating their birth year to 1990, five words are the result of a similar process. Interested in words from a particular year? It's easy to categorize them. Select the Collegiate as your reference, click on Advanced Search, type the year into the Date field, and click on Search. November 2007Happy Birthday: 1965When the lights went out during rush hour on November 9, 1965, the Great Northeast Blackout left 30 million people in the dark. It was the most dramatic lights-out in American history until the August 2003 blackout. Contrary to popular mythology, the overnight power outage did not result in a bump in the birth rate nine months later, but 1965 did see the birth of 220 words (and yes, 1966 saw 227). It's easy to check on which words first saw the light of print in a particular year. Select the Collegiate as the reference, click on Advanced Search, type the year in the Date field, and click on Search. January 2008Happy Birthday: 1838These days, using electronically encoded messages is a hallmark of the Internet, but that concept was imagined — and officially instituted — on January 6, 1838, when Samuel F.B. Morse first demonstrated his telegraph. Plenty of the words that claim 1838 as a birth year telegraphed the colorful changing world of 170 years ago. It's easy to find which words saw the first light of print in a particular year. Select the Collegiate as the reference, click on Advanced Search, type the year in the Date field, and click on Search. February 2008Happy Birthday: 1929In the spirit of Leap Year, with its extra day in February, we take the liberty to jump one year ahead to celebrate words first appearing 100 years ago, in 1929. In the heyday of Prohibition, seven men associated with Bugs Moran's gang were lined up and shot in a Chicago garage. The February 14, 1929 executions, traced back to Al Capone's crew, were dubbed the St. Valentine's Day Massacre. Eighty years later, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre remains well known; so too are many of the words that first appeared in print that year. March 2008Happy Birthday: 1933On March 12, 1933, the newly inaugurated President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave the first of his national Fireside Chats. The Great Depression was upon the land, and FDR had plenty to say to comfort and encourage Americans. 1933 was the year 182 new words were first spotted in print (including these 16). Interested in viewing the full list? It's easy. Select the Collegiate as your Reference, click on Advanced Search, type 1933 into the Date field and click on Search. April 2008Happy Birthday: 1968In April 1968, 2001: A Space Odyssey premiered after a great deal of hype. The New York Times reviewer categorized the movie somewhere "between hypnotic and boring;" The New Yorker's Pauline Kael dismissed it as "trash masquerading as art." The public loved it, however, and some movie critics ended up reconsidering, renouncing, and revising their reviews. In addition to welcoming a new style of movie, 1968 also ushered in 218 new words, of which more than a few evoke Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece. Interested in checking out the words that first appeared in print in a particular year? Select the Collegiate as your Reference, click on Advanced Search, type the year into the Date field and click on Search. May 2008Happy Birthday: 1954In May, 1954, medical student Roger Bannister broke the four-minute mile. The barrier was as much psychological as it was physical: running that fast was considered by some to be impossible. Bannister's record was broken only a few weeks later, and nowadays breaking a 4-minute-mile is a realistic goal for runners, not simply a dream. One hundred eighty-four words broke into print in 1954; more than a few of them are so well-established as to be considered run-of-the-mill these days. Interested in tracking down words that first appeared in print in a particular year? Select the Collegiate as your reference, click on Advanced Search, type the year into the Date field and click on Search. June 2008Happy Birthday: 1692What became known as the Salem Witch Trials began when Bridget Bishop was indicted, tried, and sentenced to death on June 2, 1692. In all, more than a dozen people accused of witchcraft were either hanged or died in prison before year's end. That year of witchcraft also saw the first print appearance of 47 words, of which only a few may have appeared during the hysteria or trials. Interested in seeing all 47 words whose first known appearance in print is 1692? Choose the Collegiate as your Reference, click on the pull-down menu, and then select Date. Type in 1692 and click on Search. September 2008Happy Birthday: 1908On September 23, 1908, in the bottom of the ninth inning, New York Giant Fred Merkle was on first base while teammate Moose McCormick was on third. What happened next cost the Giants the pennant, established the date as one of the most ignominious anniversaries in baseball, and made bonehead and boner part of our lexicon. Along with the noun bonehead, nearly 200 other nouns also first appeared in print in 1908. We've pulled out a few notable ones — they tell an interesting cultural story. To learn about Merkle's boner and see more of the list, read on. Or, to get the full list, select the Collegiate as your reference, click on Advanced Search, type 1908 into the Date field and noun into the Function field. October 2008Happy Birthday: 1958Need some evidence that time flies? Consider this: October 1 marked the 50th anniversary of the founding of NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. A surprising mixture of terms (scientific and cultural) share a birth year with NASA. See some of our favorites. Or see the full list of 154 words for yourself. Select the Collegiate as your reference, click on Advanced Search, and type 1958 into the Date field and click Search. |