Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, July 6, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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exiguity
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Comparative AdjectivesComparative adjectives are adjectives that compare differences between the attributes of two nouns. We form comparative adjectives either by adding "-er" to the end of the adjective, or by adding what word before the adjective? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Buddhas of BamyanOnce the largest examples of standing Buddha carvings in the world, the Buddhas of Bamyan were two monumental statues carved into the side of a cliff in Afghanistan's Bamyan Valley. Built during the 6th century, the statues were destroyed in 2001 by the Islamist Taliban government, which decreed that the figures were idolatrous and bombarded them with dynamite and tank barrages for nearly a month. The Afghan government has since proposed that the statues be recreated using what technologies? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Jan Hus Is Burned at the Stake (1415)A Bohemian religious reformer, Hus was excommunicated in 1411 after taking a stand in the power struggle among the three figures claiming to be pope of the Catholic Church. He continued to preach, but his criticism led to a case of heresy against him, and he was invited to the Council of Constance to explain his views. Though promised safe conduct to the council, he was arrested, tried for heresy, and burned at the stake. What seemingly prescient thing did Hus do before traveling to Constance? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 John Paul Jones (1747)One of the greatest heroes of the US Navy, Jones emigrated from Scotland at the start of the American Revolution. In 1779, while commanding the Bonhomme Richard, he engaged the British Serapis in battle. With his ship on fire and sinking, he answered a call to surrender by saying, "I have not yet begun to fight!" Eventually, the crew of the badly damaged Serapis surrendered, and Jones and his men boarded her. Where were Jones's remains—lost for over a century—found in 1905? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The first duty of a lecturer—to hand you after an hour's discourse a nugget of pure truth to wrap up between the pages of your notebooks, and keep on the mantelpiece forever.Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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green folding stuff/money— Paper money, especially in large amounts. Primarily heard in US. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Birthday of the Dalai Lama (2021)This celebration is held on July 6 for the birthday of the current Dalai Lama, the spiritual and political head of Tibet. The present Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso (b. 1935), is the latest in the line that began in the 14th century. Each Dalai Lama is believed to be the reincarnation of the preceding one, and when a Dalai Lama dies, Tibetan lamas search throughout the country for a child who is his reincarnation. The birthday is observed today by exiles in India with family picnics, traditional dances and singing, and incense-burning ceremonies to appease the local spirits. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: lemonpip - An apple seed or lemon seed is a pip. More... citrus, citron - Latin citrus signified the citron, an Asian tree with lemonlike fruit; citron is a French derivative of citrus, coined on the model of French limon, "lemon." More... lemon sole - Actually a type of flounder—not sole—it has nothing to do with lemon other than it is pale-yellow in color; the name derives from French limande, "flatfish." More... muddle - To muddle a lemon is to lightly mash slices to release the essential oils. More... | |