Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, January 4, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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alkali
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Phrasal VerbsPhrasal verbs are verb phrases that have idiomatic meanings—that is, their meaning is not obvious from the individual words that make up the phrase. What parts of speech typically make up a phrasal verb? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The MicroscopeA key tool in laboratories and biology classrooms, the microscope produces enlarged images of small objects. Its inventor is not conclusively known, so it is credited to two people—Zacharias Janssen around 1590 and Galileo around 1610. Probably the best known type is the compound microscope, which consists of an objective lens and an eyepiece and is widely used in the examination of plant and animal cells and bacteria. Who helped popularize the microscope by using it to discover red blood cells? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Sofia Liberated from Ottoman Rule (1878)Sofia was established as a Thracian settlement around the 8th century BCE and has since developed into a major world city and the capital of Bulgaria, due in part to its central position in the Balkans. Today it is home to attractions like the 6th century Church of St. Sofia and 15th century Banya Bashi mosque. During its long history, the city passed through the hands of the Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman empires. After nearly 500 years of Turkish rule, Sophia was liberated by what country? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Sir Isaac Newton (1643)Widely considered the greatest scientist who ever lived, Newton was an English physicist and mathematician. His most famous publication, Principia Mathematica, regarded as the seminal work of modern science, includes his works on the laws of motion, tidal theory, and the theory of universal gravitation. Newton also worked out the fundamentals of calculus, though this work went unpublished for more than 30 years. How might Newton's study of alchemy have influenced his theory of gravity? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Experience, n.: The wisdom that enables us to recognize as an undesirable old acquaintance the folly that we have already embraced.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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throw a wobbly— To suddenly become very upset or intensely angry and make a big display of it. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Sakata Chauth (2018)Hindu men and women fast on this day in honor of Ganesh, the Hindu god of wisdom with the head of an elephant, because it is believed to be the day of his birth. After being bathed first thing in the morning, the statue of Ganesh is worshipped with sweets and balls made of jaggery (a coarse, dark sugar made from palm trees) and sesame seeds. When the moon rises, the fast is broken, and the moon god is worshipped and offered water. The day-long fast observed on Sakata Chauth is believed to ensure wisdom, a trouble-free life, and prosperity. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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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... | |