Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, August 21, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
digress
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Correlative Conjunctions and Parallel StructureWhen we use correlative conjunctions, it's important to use parallel structure, especially in formal writing. In parallel structure, both elements joined by the correlative conjunction have to be what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Trajan's ColumnCompleted in 113 CE, Trajan’s Column is a war monument erected by the Roman emperor Trajan in Rome. Standing 125 feet (38 m) high, the monument is decorated with a bas-relief sculpture spiraled around a column in a continuous band more than 600 feet (183 m) long. The sculpture depicts, with great detail, the emperor's two victorious campaigns in Dacia. The inside of the column contains Trajan's ashes and a spiral staircase. What three statues have topped the column at different times? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Demon Core Goes Critical (1945)The Demon Core was a plutonium core—used in nuclear testing at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico—so nicknamed because it resulted in the deaths of two scientists in separate accidents. In 1945, Harry Daghlian accidentally dropped a tungsten carbide brick onto the core, causing it to go "critical," or achieve a chain reaction of nuclear fission. Daghlian stopped the reaction, but died from radiation poisoning a month later. What happened to the second scientist nine months later? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Wilt Chamberlain (1936)One of the greatest offensive players in the history of basketball, "Wilt the Stilt" set many records and led the National Basketball Association in scoring every season from 1959 to 1965. He played in his hometown of Philadelphia with the Warriors and 76ers, and later with California's Los Angeles Lakers. He holds the records for both most points in a single game—100—and most rebounds in a single game—55, which he achieved against his long-time rival Bill Russell. How tall was Chamberlain? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 The world owes all its onward impulses to men ill at ease. The happy man inevitably confines himself within ancient limits.Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
be hit for six— To be upset or overwhelmed, especially suddenly or unexpectedly. Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Our Lady of Sorrows Festival (Romaria da Nossa Senhora da Agonía ) (2020)The pilgrimage to the church of Our Lady of Sorrows, or Nossa Senhora da Agonia, in Viana do Castelo, Portugal, is one of the country's most colorful religious festivals. Sometimes called the Pardon of Our Lady of Sorrows, it includes a procession in which the image of the Virgin Mary is carried over flower-strewn streets. Participants also enjoy fireworks on the River Lima, a parade of carnival giants and dwarfs, bullfights, and regional singing and folk dancing. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: platformlectern, podium, dais, rostrum - A lectern is the stand on which the speaker's notes are placed, the podium is the platform on which the speaker and lectern stand, a dais is a platform for several people, and a rostrum is a platform for one or more. More... pulpit - From classical Latin pulpitum, "platform, stage." More... hustings - Its early meaning of "platform" led to its sense of "any place from which campaign speeches are made" and "political campaigning." More... rostrum - Latin for "beak," it first referred to part of the Rome Forum decorated with bird beaks and used as a platform for speakers. More... | |