Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, June 30, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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low-key
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Common and Proper NounsCommon nouns identify general, nonspecific people, places, or things. A proper noun names someone or something that is one of a kind, which is signified by the use of what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The ParachuteThe parachute was conceived by the 14th century, but practical demonstrations began only in the 1780s in France. The first successful parachute descent from a great height occurred in 1797, when André-Jacques Garnerin made a 3,200-ft (1,000-m) exhibition jump from a balloon. In 1802, he made an 8,000-ft (2,400-m) jump. Early parachutes were made of canvas, but this was later replaced by silk and then nylon and Kevlar. What is the world record for the highest parachute jump and longest free-fall? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Mysterious Beast of Gévaudan Kills Its First Victim (1764)From 1764 to 1767, the people of Gévaudan, France, reported dozens of sightings of a man-eating, wolf-like creature now known as the Beast of From 1764 to 1767, the people of Gévaudan, France, reported dozens of sightings of a man-eating, wolf-like creature now known as the Beast of Gévaudan. According to many accounts, the beast—consistently described as having large teeth and an immense tail—killed some 100 people, prompting King Louis XV to send hunters to slay it. Some stories say a local hunter shot the beast, possibly with silver bullets. According to one theory, what exotic-but-real creature may have been behind the attacks? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Florence Ballard (1943)A founding member of The Supremes, Ballard sang on 16 Top 40 hit singles. She was first recruited by future members of The Temptations for a sister group they were forming. Ballard in turn recruited Mary Wilson, whom she had met at a talent show, and Wilson brought in Diana Ross. Disputes over Ballard's role in the trio led Motown Records to release her from the group in 1967, reportedly for "exhaustion." Her solo career failed, and she died in 1976 at age 32 as a result of what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Accursed be he that first invented war.Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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locker-room humor— Especially crude, vulgar, or bawdy humor. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Democratic Republic of Congo Independence Day (2021)The Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) gained independence from Belgium on this day in 1960. It had been a Belgian colony since 1907, and powerful movements had struggled for self-rule since the 1950s. The people celebrated the first independence day with fireworks and bonfires in the capital city of Léopoldville (now Kinshasa). More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: inflammationpleuritis, pleurisy - Greek pleura, "side" or "rib," came to be used for the "inner lining of the chest; lungs," and pleuritis or pleurisy is the inflammation of this area. More... intertrigo - Inflammation caused by the rubbing of one area of skin on another. More... phlegm - Comes from Latin phlegma, "clammy moisture," and Greek phlegma, "inflammation." More... polio - An abbreviation of poliomyelitis, from Greek polios, "gray," and muelos, "marrow," meaning "inflammation of the gray matter of the spinal cord." More... | |