Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, November 13, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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denominate
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Predicate PronounsWe can use a predicate pronoun after a linking verb to re-identify the subject. In what kinds of sentences does this most commonly happen? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 George CruikshankCruikshank was a self-taught English caricaturist, illustrator, and etcher who illustrated more than 850 books. One of England's most popular satirists, he once received a royal bribe for a pledge not to embarrass the king. In his later years, he made many drawings depicting the evils of alcohol. His illustrations notably appeared in the works of Charles Dickens. However, his relationship with Dickens soured, and, in 1871, he accused Dickens of having stolen the plot of what novel from him? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Nevado del Ruiz Erupts in Colombia (1985)When ash began to fall on the Colombian town of Armero, local authorities assured residents that it was safe to stay put, despite geologists' warnings to the contrary. It had been more than 140 years since the last serious eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz, known to residents as "the Sleeping Lion." That night, a lahar—a massive flow of mud and debris—swept down the side of the erupting volcano, destroying Armero. It was the worst natural disaster in Columbian history. How many people were killed? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Saint Augustine of Hippo (354 CE)Augustine was bishop of Hippo, a Roman city that is now Annaba, Algeria. In his early 30s, he converted to Christianity, gave up his position as professor of rhetoric, became a bishop, and turned his home into a monastery. He served for more than 40 years. While he lay dying, Vandals destroyed his city but spared his library. His writings, which include Confessions and De Civitate Dei, deeply influenced Western Christianity. What now-extinct religion did he originally practice? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Cruelty is the law pervading all nature and society; and we can't get out of it if we would.Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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keep (one's) socks on— To remain patient and calm, especially when beginning to become angry or upset with impatience. Usually said as an imperative. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Carberry Day (2020)The students and faculty at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, celebrate the fictitious academic exploits of Professor Josiah Stinkney Carberry every Friday the 13th. On Carberry Day, small brown jugs appear around campus, and students and teachers fill them with change. The money goes to a book fund that Professor Carberry has set up "in memory of my future late wife, Laura." More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: lightningnimbostratus cloud - Can drop precipitation but has no lightning or thunder. More... artillery - A poetic term for thunder and lightning. More... coup de foudre - A sudden unforeseen event or instantaneous and overwhelming passion, such as love at first sight; it is French, literally, "stroke of lightning." More... lightning - Etymologically, lightning is simply something that illuminates or "lightens" the sky, a contraction of the earlier "lightening." More... | |