Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, February 14, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
dissect
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Evaluative Adverbs that Indicate a Degree of CertaintyThere are several types of evaluative adverbs, which can be classified according to their function. We can use evaluative adverbs to state how certain we are about something. "Obviously" is an evaluative adverb that we can use in this way. What are others? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Brú na BóinneBrú na Bóinne is a complex of Neolithic chamber tombs, standing stones, henges, and prehistoric enclosures located at a wide bend in the River Boyne in Ireland. Among its most well-known sections are the passage graves of Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth, which possess significant collections of megalithic art. A World Heritage site, it was also used for Iron Age burials and was eventually settled by the Normans in the Middle Ages. How old are some of the tombs? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Israeli Knesset Convenes for the First Time (1949)In May 1948, following a failed attempt by the UN to divide Palestine, which had been under British mandate, the new nation of Israel proclaimed its independence. The first legislative assembly, or Knesset, convened in February 1949. It succeeded the Assembly of Representatives that had functioned as the Jewish community's parliament during the Mandate era. Although the 120 legislators of the Knesset are elected every four years, the average lifespan of a Knesset is about two years. Why? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 George Ferris (1859)American engineer George Ferris worked on a number of bridge projects in the 1880s and 90s, but he is best remembered today for his contribution to the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago—a huge revolving observation wheel. The "Ferris wheel" was designed to be an engineering marvel that would rival the Eiffel Tower, the icon of the 1889 Paris Exposition. A resounding success, it drew about 1.5 million riders over the course of the fair. How many could take a whirl on the wheel at once? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 If you know what a man's doing, get in front of him; but if you want to guess what he's doing, keep behind him.Gilbert Chesterton (1874-1936) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
pull a prank (on someone)— To carry out a trick, deception, or practical joke (against someone). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Frederick Douglass Day (2019)Each year on February 14, Frederick Douglass's birthday is commemorated with a ceremony at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site in Washington, D.C. The event features speakers on human rights, recitations of excerpts from Douglass's speeches, music performances, and a wreath-laying ceremony. Activities, including lectures, readings from his works, and film presentations about his life, are also planned in New Bedford, in Rochester, N.Y., where Douglass's grave is located, and in many other locations throughout the country. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: trousersfob - A small pocket close to the waistband of trousers. More... galluses - Another name for suspenders for trousers. More... plus fours - Got their name (c. 1920) from the fact that such trousers were made four inches longer than standard knickerbockers or shorts, which came to just above the knee. More... trousers, trouse - The singular of trousers is trouse. More... | |