Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, November 18, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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embrasure
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Subject-Verb Agreement with Uncountable NounsBecause uncountable nouns cannot be plural, it is very important to use the correct subject-verb agreement. What form of a verb must uncountable nouns take? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Isle of Wight Festival, 1970Just 147 sq mi (381 sq km), the Isle of Wight is an English island with a population of about 140,000. In August 1970, it is estimated that more than 600,000 people flocked to the small isle to attend the third Isle of Wight Festival, a five-day concert featuring dozens of performers including The Who, The Doors, and Miles Davis. It was also the last major performance of Jimi Hendrix, who died three weeks later. Which musicians' sets were interrupted when concertgoers jumped on stage? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Day of Two Noons: US and Canada Adopt Standard Time Zones (1883)Before the adoption of time zones, clocks in the US and Canada were set according to the position of the sun overhead, meaning that time varied according to location. For the rail industry, this presented a logistical nightmare, and so many railroads kept their own time, further complicating matters. Standardization solved everything. On "The Day of Two Noons," train stations reset their clocks according to newly adopted time standards. Which US city continued to keep local time until the 1900s? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Asa Gray (1810)Considered one of the most important botanists in American history, Gray laid the foundation for the study of plants in North America. He made botanical expeditions to the western US, established Harvard University's botany department, and wrote prodigiously on the subject of plants, producing several classic, still-valued textbooks. Charles Darwin was such an admirer of Gray's work that he shared his theory of natural selection with Gray before publishing it. What toxin was named for Gray? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There is peace, in so far as the absence of slaughter may be called by that name, but there is necessarily little harmony of tastes or pursuits.Edwin Abbott (1838-1926) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be kicked upstairs— To be promoted to a higher role or position in a company that has little actual responsibility or authority. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Latvia Independence Day (2020)Independence Day marks Latvia's declaration of independence from German and Russian occupation on November 18, 1918. The country remained independent until World War II, when it was absorbed by the Soviet Union. Like the other Baltic republics, Latvia proclaimed its independence from Soviet Russia in 1991, on August 21. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: trumpetkazoo, bazooka - Dutch bazu, "trumpet," gives us the words kazoo and bazooka, the latter originally being a form of kazoo that was a long sounding-horn. More... jubilee - Comes from Hebrew yobhel, "ram's horn," which was used as a trumpet to proclaim the jubilee, a year of emancipation and restoration (every 50 years). More... taratantara - The sound of a bugle or trumpet can be called taratantara. More... | |