Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, May 29, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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insuperable
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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DeterminersDeterminers do two things. First, they signal that a noun or noun phrase will follow. Then, they give information about the item. What are demonstrative determiners? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Eugène François VidocqVidocq was a career criminal who became a spy for the Paris police while in prison in 1809. After 21 months of spying, he was released and organized a plainclothes unit. In 1817 alone, he played a role in 811 arrests. In 1832, accusations that he was instigating crimes for the purpose of uncovering them forced his resignation. He recounted his exploits in his memoirs, inspiring several fictional accounts. Considered the father of modern criminology, Vidocq pioneered what investigative methods? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Bing Crosby Records "White Christmas," Best-Selling Single of All Time (1942)Composed by legendary songwriter Irving Berlin, "White Christmas" has been recorded by numerous singers. By far, the best known version is performed by Crosby. However, it is not his 1942 recording that American audiences hear endlessly during Christmastime, but rather the re-recording he made in 1947. The song was further popularized by the film of the same name—starring Crosby—released in 1954. How many copies is Crosby's "White Christmas" single estimated to have sold worldwide? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Iannis Xenakis (1922)Xenakis was a Romanian-born French composer, architect, and mathematician. He started out studying engineering and music in Greece but was forced to flee in 1947 when he was denounced as a communist. He moved to Paris and, for the next 12 years, worked with the architect Le Corbusier. In his 30s, he began seriously studying composition with Olivier Messiaen and others and earned acclaim for his use of mathematical models in musical composition. What computerized composition tool did he develop? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A soul that is kind and intends justice discovers more than any sophist.Sophocles (496 BC-406 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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last burst of fire— A final effort or attempt, especially as before failure or defeat. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Shick-Shack Day (2021)The Oxford English Dictionary suggests that this day takes its name from a corruption of a derogatory term for Protestants who did not follow the doctrines of the Church of England. It was later applied to those who did not wear the traditional sprig of oak on May 29, or Royal Oak Day—the birthday of Charles II, and the day in 1660 on which he made his entry into London as king. Shick-shack has since become synonymous with the oak-apple or sprig of oak itself, and May 29 is celebrated in memory of the restoration of King Charles and his preservation in the Royal Oak. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: threatboast - First meant "threaten" or "threat." More... gunboat diplomacy - Foreign policy carried out with the backing of the threat or use of military force. More... ostrichism - Self-delusion, a refusal to cope with something, such as a threat—figuratively hiding one's head in the sand, as the animal is mistakenly thought to do. More... | |