Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, July 10, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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nonviolence
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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SlashesThe slash ( / )—technically known as a virgule but also called a slant, solidus, or stroke—serves a number of purposes in writing. What are they? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Mad as a March Hare"Mad as a March hare" is an idiomatic phrase derived from the excitable and unpredictable antics of hares during their breeding season, often incorrectly believed to occur only in March. Though the phrase has been in continuous use since the 16th century, it was popularized by Lewis Carroll in his book Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, in which the March Hare co-hosts a tea party with the Mad Hatter. What are some of the strange behaviors displayed by hares during mating season? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Rubens's Massacre of the Innocents Sells for £49.5 million (2002)Misattributed to an assistant of Baroque painter Peter Paul Rubens until 2002, when an expert from Sotheby's auction house identified it as the work of the master himself, Massacre of the Innocents is an early 17th-century painting depicting Herod's slaughter of the infants of Bethlehem. One of two paintings Rubens made of the Biblical scene, it fetched £49.5 million ($76 million) at auction and is one of the priciest paintings ever sold. Its style is reminiscent of which Italian painter? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Arthur Ashe (1943)Ashe rose from his hometown's public courts to become the first African-American male to reach prominence in tennis. Noted for his grace, hard-hit topspin, and outstanding backhand, Ashe won three Grand Slam tournaments, including Wimbledon. He helped to form the Association of Tennis Professionals and worked to expose the injustices of apartheid in South Africa. Infected with HIV through a blood transfusion, he also worked to raise awareness of AIDS. Why was Ashe arrested in 1985 and 1992? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent.Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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in front of (one's) very eyes— Right in plain sight or while one is watching. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Cheltenham International Festival of Music (2022)Established in 1945 to give first performances of works by British composers, the two-week Cheltenham International Festival of Music has since expanded its scope considerably. Its musical repertoire now includes both British and foreign composers offering operas as well as symphonic, chamber, and choral music. Special master classes are also offered each year on such subjects as string quartets, piano trios, and brass instruments. Recitals and chamber music concerts are held in the Pittville Pump Room, Cheltenham Spa's most important Regency structure. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: railwayMain Line - The principal line of a railway (1841), it also has the meaning "affluent area of residence" (1930s), originally that of Philadelphia, from the "main line" of the Pennsylvania Railroad, which added local stops to a string of backwater towns west of the city in late 19th century that helped turn them into fashionable suburbs. More... one-track mind - Is a reference to the railway. More... railway - The word was first recorded in 1776, but the first actual railway opened nearly 50 years later, in 1825. More... sidetrack - First used for a railway siding or a minor track or path. More... | |