Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, October 27, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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poppycock
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Reflexive VerbsReflexive verbs are verbs whose subjects are also their direct objects—i.e., the action of the verb is both committed and received by the same person or thing. Reflexive verbs are sometimes identified as being in what voice? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Messel PitOne of the most significant fossil sites in the world, the Messel Pit is a former shale quarry in Germany. About 47 million years ago during the Eocene Epoch, the area was home to a lake, and archaeologists hypothesize that it periodically released clouds of poisonous volcanic gases. Insects, fish, birds, and mammals that died there were preserved with incredible detail—down to fur and feathers—in the lake's sediment. Prehistoric versions of what modern animals have been found there? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The First Underground Line of the New York City Subway Opens (1904)Now an integral part of New York City culture, the NYC subway opened its first underground line in 1904—about 35 years after service began on the first elevated line. The subway's early popularity was highlighted in songs like "Take the 'A' Train" and publicity contests like "Miss Subways." Millions of people now ride the city's subways every day, consistently crowding some trains well beyond capacity. What 1888 natural disaster boosted support for the creation of an underground transit system? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Niccolò Paganini (1782)An Italian violinist and composer whose virtuosity is the stuff of legend, Paganini was playing with an orchestra by the age of nine. By the time he reached adulthood, the renowned violinist had also earned a reputation as a shameless womanizer and inveterate gambler. The latter vice once even cost him his prized violin. Nevertheless, he had a profound influence on the evolution of violin technique. Why did the Catholic Church deny him burial in consecrated ground for years following his death? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 But there, everything has its drawbacks, as the man said when his mother-in-law died, and they came down upon him for the funeral expenses.Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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never a rose without a/the prick— There is rarely a good or positive thing, event, or circumstance that is not accompanied by something negative or unpleasant (i.e., just as a rose has thorns). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Turkmenistan Independence Day (2021)This national holiday commemorates Turkmenistan's independence from the U.S.S.R. on October 27, 1991. Turkmenistan and other republics were gradually able to establish their own autonomous states due to the relaxation of Soviet rule influenced by the policy of perestroika. When the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, their independence was assured. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pushingcentrifugal, centripetal - Centrifugal force pulls away or pushes outward; centripetal draws toward or pulls inward. More... cow tipping - A widely frowned-upon activity whereby one knocks over a sleeping cow (which sleeps standing up) by pushing on its side. More... exert - Can refer to a seed's pushing out or up. More... crowd - Its underlying notion is of "pushing, pressing," from Old English crudan, "press." More... | |