Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, April 22, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
purchasable
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Direct SpeechDirect speech refers to the direct quotation of something that someone else said. It is sometimes known as "quoted speech." Because the quotation happened in the past, we put the reporting verb into what tense? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 The Zanj RebellionAt the height of the Abbasid Empire, thousands of East Africans, known as Zanj, were transported as slaves to work in the salt marshes near the town of Basra, in what is now southern Iraq. Led by Ali ibn Muhammad, the exploited Zanj—free and enslaved alike—rebelled in 869 CE. They successfully raided towns and villages and even expanded north and established a capital. It took 15 years for the Abbasids to suppress the revolt, in part because they were also struggling with what other group? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Japanese Embassy Hostage Crisis Ends in Lima, Peru (1997)The Japanese ambassador to Peru was holding a party at his home in Lima on December 17, 1996, when 14 members of a revolutionary militant group stormed the compound, taking more than 400 guests hostage. Most were released in the following weeks, but 72 Japanese and Peruvian hostages were held until April, when Peruvian military forces swarmed the building and killed the militants. Only one hostage and two commandos died, and the raid was deemed a success. What had been the militants' demands? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Peter Kenneth Frampton (1950)British rocker Peter Frampton performed with successful bands The Herd and Humble Pie before going solo in 1971. His breakthrough album, 1976's Frampton Comes Alive!, remains one of the best-selling live albums of all time. It includes hits such as "Do You Feel Like We Do?" and "Show Me The Way," which feature his signature talk box effect that makes the guitar sound like it is "talking." Why did Frampton regret appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone at the height of his success? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Girls are so queer you never know what they mean. They say No when they mean Yes, and drive a man out of his wits for the fun of it.Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
have the courage of (one's) convictions— To have the confidence to act or behave in accordance with one's beliefs or ideologies, especially in the face of resistance, criticism, or persecution. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Peppercorn Ceremony (2020)This ceremony has been a tradition on the island of Bermuda since 1816, when a lease to the State House in St. George was granted to the common council of St. George in trust by the members of the Masonic Lodge for the annual rent of one peppercorn. On the day of the Peppercorn Ceremony, the governor of Bermuda arrives at the State House in a horse-drawn carriage and receives a key to the State House. The rent of one peppercorn is delivered on a velvet pillow, and members of the Executive Council proceed to the State House for their meeting. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: medical termbrainstorm - By the 1890s, it was a medical term for "mental explosion". More... canities - The medical term for the graying or whitening of hair. More... repercussion - First a medical term for "repressing an infection." More... tension - Originally a medical term for the condition of being physically strained. More... | |