Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, September 25, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
cosmopolitan
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Defining VerbsVerbs are used to indicate the actions, processes, conditions, or states of beings of people or things. They constitute the root of the predicate, which, along with the subject, forms a full clause or sentence. When we discuss verbs' role in the predicate, we usually divide them into what two fundamental categories? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 The P-51 MustangA single-seat, single-engine monoplane produced for Britain's Royal Air Force and later adopted by the US Air Force, the P-51 Mustang was a fighter aircraft that played a significant part in defeating the German Luftwaffe during World War II. Originally equipped with eight machine guns and a camera for reconnaissance, the P-51 was a superb long-range fighter with a maximum speed of 390 mph (630 km/h). Though eventually replaced by jet fighters, P-51s were used in some air forces until when? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 The Maze Prison Escape (1983)Maze Prison was a high-security prison in Northern Ireland that housed incarcerated members of the Irish Republican Army during the Troubles. In 1983, the Maze suffered the biggest jailbreak in British history. Using smuggled guns and knives, 38 prisoners overpowered prison guards and hijacked a food truck. One prison officer died during the escape and several others were wounded. Although half of the escapees were soon recaptured, the remaining 19 got away. What happened to them? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Shel Silverstein (1932)Silverstein was an American cartoonist, children's author, poet, songwriter, and playwright. Often compared to Dr. Seuss, he wrote and illustrated innovative books of verse for children, including Where the Sidewalk Ends, A Light in the Attic, and The Giving Tree. His quirky verse, which touches on common childhood anxieties and wishes, is credited with helping youngsters develop an appreciation for poetry. What hit song, performed by Johnny Cash, was written by Silverstein? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Enthusiasm, n.: A distemper of youth, curable by small doses of repentance in connection with outward applications of experience.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
lemon law— A law requiring an automobile manufacturer or dealer to replace, repair, or refund the cost of an automobile that proves to be defective after purchase. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Marshall Islands Lutok Kobban Alele (2017)The inhabitants of the Marshall Islands have long kept a tradition centered on the alele, a soft-sided basket handmade from the native pandanus plant. "Lutok Kobban Alele" is a weeklong festival that honors the basket as a national symbol and celebrates Marshallese culture in general, concluding with an official ceremony on Manit Day, a public holiday observed on the last Friday of September. Activities take place in the capital city of Majuro and include performances by Marshallese singers and dancers, feasts, traditional storytelling, and demonstrations of basket weaving and cooking. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: pardouble eagle - Three strokes under par on a single golf hole. Also called an albatross. More... par - Latin, literally "equal, equality." More... double bogey - Two strokes over par. More... birdie - The golf term birdie is a diminutive of bird, "first-rate thing," as it is one stroke under par for a hole. More... | |
| In the News | |
|---|---|
Octopus 'City' Found Off the Coast of AustraliaIn the waters of Jervis Bay, just off the coast of eastern Australia, lies a city bustling with life—octopus life, that is. As Ephrat Livni writes for Quartz, researchers found an octopus "city" composed of 15 of the eight-legged beasts known as ... More... | |