Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, January 24, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Periods with Quotation MarksIf a sentence uses quotation marks to indicate something that another person has said, and the quotation marks appear at the end of the sentence, the period can appear in one of two places. In American English, the punctuation used at the end of direct speech always appears within the quotation marks. However, in British English, where are periods that end quotations usually placed? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Rust BeltThe Rust Belt is an economic region in the northeast quadrant of the US, including the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The term gained wide use in the 1970s, as the once dominant industrial region became noted for the abandonment of factories and unemployment. Although some Rust Belt cities have improved after the expansion of non-manufacturing industries, others have been unable to do so. What US city has lost more than half of its population in recent decades? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 California Gold Rush Begins (1848)In 1848, the same year California became a part of the US, another major event in the state's history occurred. While establishing a sawmill for John Sutter, James W. Marshall discovered gold and touched off the California gold rush. The gold-rush miners, known as forty-niners, came in droves, spurred by the promise of fabulous riches from the so-called Mother Lode, and San Francisco became a boom town. Why was Sutter disappointed when he discovered that gold had been found on his property? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 John Belushi (1949)Belushi was an American comedian, actor, and musician. He started out with the Second City comedy troop in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois, in 1971, achieved national recognition in National Lampoon's Lemmings in 1973, and joined Saturday Night Live as an original cast member in 1975. He also starred in several films, including Animal House and The Blues Brothers, before dying of a drug overdose in 1982. Who was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for his death? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There is a God in Heaven who will not forget to punish the wicked or reward the good; and it is not fitting that honest men should be the instruments of punishment to others, they being therein no way concerned.Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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hard done-by— Mistreated or abused; cheated; dejected. Often preceded by "feel." More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Coloma Gold Discovery Day (2020)The anniversary of James W. Marshall's discovery of gold in 1848 while overseeing the construction of a sawmill near Coloma, California, is commemorated with an annual celebration at the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park on the weekend nearest January 24. An employee of John A. Sutter, a wealthy entrepreneur, Marshall noticed flakes of gold in the streambed as he was inspecting work on the mill. Marshall's cabin is now part of the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, and Sutter's home is part of a museum and park in Sacramento. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: teacherfescue - A pointer, such as that used by a teacher, having originally meant "a straw or twig." More... docent, docible, docile - Docent comes from Latin docere, "to teach"; docible is "capable of learning" and docile first meant "teachable." More... Socratic method - A teaching technique in which a teacher does not give information directly but instead asks a series of questions, with the result that the student comes either to the desired knowledge by answering the questions or to a deeper awareness of the limits of knowledge. More... tuition - First meant taking care of something, then teaching or instruction, especially for a fee. More... | |