Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, July 5, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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paronomasia
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Order of AdjectivesIn English, the order of adjectives can sometimes be flexible, but most of the time we use a very specific order. To avoid unnatural-sounding sentences, what types of adjectives are used first? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 MedusaIn Greek mythology, Medusa was the most famous of the three monstrous Gorgon sisters. She was once a beautiful woman, but she offended Athena, who changed her hair into snakes and made her face so hideous that all who looked at her were turned to stone. When Medusa was with child by Poseidon, Perseus beheaded her. What creatures sprang from her blood? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Battle of Wagram Begins (1809)The two-day Battle of Wagram signaled the end of the 1809 War of the Fifth Coalition between the kingdoms of Austria and France. Due to the battle's then-unprecedented use of artillery, both sides suffered tens of thousands of casualties. The Austrians were broken by the battle. Napoleon's victory forced Archduke Charles of Austria to accept unfavorable armistice conditions, stripping Austria of land and subjects. The battle might have ended differently if who had shown up in time? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 David Glasgow Farragut (1801)Adopted by a naval officer as a child, Farragut began his naval career as a midshipman at age nine. During the US Civil War, he ran his ships past Confederate forts to capture New Orleans. The victory earned him a prominent place in the Union navy. He was again promoted in 1864, after leading a successful assault on a heavily mined Confederate port. Famously, upon losing a ship during the attack, he allegedly cried out "Damn the torpedoes–full speed ahead!" What naval rank was created for him? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Objectivity and justice have nothing to do with one another.Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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hold that thought— An expression used to interrupt someone mid-speech and indicate that one's attention is being or about to be diverted. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Beiteddine Festival (2020)The Beiteddine Festival, held in a magnificent 200-year-old palace in this town in the Chouf region of Lebanon, has presented world-class offerings in the arts since 1985. Organizers defied the struggles of Lebanon's civil war by staging this celebration of human culture. Many performers are Lebanese, but artists from around the world also are invited. The 2001 festival, for example, included a concert by Elton John, a production of Victor Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris, and Turkish folk musician Kudsi Erguner, as well as a performance by the Lebanese singer Fairouz. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: strangerextranean - An outsider or stranger, a person not belonging to a household. More... barbarian - Based on Greek barbaros, "stranger" or "enemy." More... stranger - Originally a foreigner, from Old French estrangier, from Latin extraneus, "person outside." More... pilgrim - Its basic meaning was "traveler, homeless wanderer," from Latin peregrinum, "foreigner, stranger." More... | |