Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, September 19, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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"Here" and "There"Adverbs of place tell us about an aspect of location associated with the action of a verb, specifying the direction, distance, movement, or position involved in the action. "Here" and "there" are adverbs of place that relate specifically to what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 AedilesIn ancient Rome, magistrates in charge of public works, games, buildings, and roads were called aediles, derived from the Latin word for "temple" or "building." Appointed from the ranks of both patricians and plebeians, these officials were generally young men intending to pursue high political office. Aediles supervised markets, the grain supply, and the water supply and also had powers to enforce public order. The position was created at the same time as what important Roman office? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Ötzi the Iceman Is Discovered by German Tourists (1991)In 1991, two hikers discovered a well-preserved corpse trapped in ice near the border between Austria and Italy. It proved to be that of a man who lived about 5,300 years ago—making it the oldest natural mummy ever found. He was nicknamed Ötzi, for the Ötztal Alps where he was found. Also recovered were clothes, shoes, tools, weapons, fire-starting materials, and medicine. Scientists have since determined that Ötzi ate about eight hours before his death. What did he eat, and how did he die? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Lajos Kossuth (1802)Now considered a national hero, Kossuth was a Hungarian revolutionary who favored dissolving the union between the Hungarian and Austrian crowns. The fiery orator was a principal figure of the 1848 Hungarian Revolution. Appointed provisional governor, he soon became virtual dictator. In 1849, Russian armies intervened in favor of Austria, forcing him to resign. He fled to Turkey and later to Italy, where he watched as Hungary reconciled with the Austrian monarchy. What did he do while in exile? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 All visible objects ... are but as pasteboard masks.Herman Melville (1819-1891) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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slanging match— A bitter argument or dispute in which each side hurls numerous insults, accusations, or verbal abuse at one another. Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Feast of San Gennaro (2025)San Gennaro, or St. Januarius, 4th-century bishop of Benevento, is the patron saint of Naples, Italy. He is said to have survived a fiery furnace and a den of wild beasts before being beheaded during the reign of Diocletian. His body was brought to Naples, along with a vial containing some of his blood. The congealed blood, preserved since that time in the Cathedral of San Gennaro, is claimed to liquefy on the anniversary of his death each year—an event that has drawn crowds to Naples since 1389. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: truckroo bar - An Australian term for a metal bar on the front of a car or truck that prevents the vehicle from being damaged in the event of a collision with an animal (such as a kangaroo). More... snow groomer - A truck or other vehicle, either with tracks running along both sides or dragging equipment behind, used to maintain ski hills and groom (pack down) snow. More... truck farm - Refers to the sense of truck as "commodities for sale," and, later, "garden produce for market." More... truck - Formed by combining Latin trochos, "wheel," and Greek trechein, "to run," it originally referred to a wooden wheel. More... | |