Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, January 6, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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incendiary
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Absolute PhrasesAn absolute phrase (also known as an absolute construction) is a grammatically independent group of words that serves to modify an entire sentence. Because an absolute phrase is not an integral part of the sentence, how is it always set apart? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Shetland PonyAlthough the Shetland is one of the smallest breeds of horse, measuring no more than 46 inches (117 cm) high, it is extremely hardy and needs little care, having adapted to the harsh climate and scarcity of food in Scotland's Shetland Islands. Shetland ponies were thus used as pack horses and worked in England's coal mines in the 19th century. These diminutive horses are also known for their gentle disposition and are a favorite mount for children. Shetland ponies can live to be how old? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Maria Montessori Opens Her First School (1907)Montessori was an educator and the first woman to receive a medical degree in Italy. While working in a clinic for mentally disabled children, she developed a method of teaching that involves immersing children in an environment filled with "learning games" that naturally motivate learning and allow them to develop at their own pace. She opened her first children's school in 1907 and spent the next 40 years traveling and promoting her method. How many times was she nominated for the Nobel Prize? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Sun Myung Moon (1920)Moon was an engineering student and dock worker before founding the Unification Church—based on his interpretation of Christianity—in South Korea in 1954. After building a multimillion-dollar business empire, he introduced the movement to the United States in the 1960s. Moon, who claims to be the Messiah and presides over ceremonies often called "mass weddings," is considered a controversial figure, and his movement is often viewed as a cult. In 1982, he was convicted of what crime? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is better not to live at all than to live disgraced.Sophocles (496 BC-406 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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throw (one's) toys out of the pram— To behave in a petulantly upset or angry manner; to act like an angry child. Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Coopers' Dance (2019)The famous Coopers' Dance, a 500-year-old custom, is performed in Munich, Germany, every seven years throughout the Carnival season. The coopers, who make the barrels in which beer is stored, are highly respected in this city known for its breweries. According to tradition, the first dance is performed on Epiphany in front of the Minister-President's office building, where spectators gather in the streets to watch. The dance is performed by 25 colorfully dressed coopers, who swing hoops of fir branches and keep time with the music by beating on barrels with their tools. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: taxexcise - As in tax, it is from Middle Dutch excijs, from Latin accensum, "to tax." More... tax - From Latin taxare, "censure, charge, or compute." More... toll - Traces back to Greek telos, "tax." More... disposable income, surplus income - Disposable income or surplus income is what you have left after taxes and other government obligations—i.e. what you have left to live on. More... | |