Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, November 2, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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depute
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Negative Declarative SentencesNot all declarative sentences are straightforward statements of positive fact—there are a few variations that express slightly different information, while still remaining declarative in nature. In negative declarative sentences (or simply "negative sentences"), what two words can be used to make information negative? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Cataract SurgeryA cataract is an opacity of the lens of the eye, which can cause impaired vision or blindness. Because cataracts are a common result of normal aging, most people over age 60 have cataracts to some degree. In fact, cataract surgery is the most common surgical procedure in the US. One early remedy, developed thousands of years ago, involved using a needle to pierce the eye and push the lens out of the field of vision. In what regions is this dangerous, often blinding, technique still employed? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Major Internet-Distributed Computer Worm Launched (1988)In 1988, Cornell University student Robert Morris launched a program supposedly aimed at measuring the size of the Internet. He had designed the ostensibly harmless program to count the computers connected to the small but growing Web by copying itself to each unit. Due to a design flaw, however, the program spread wildly, repeatedly copying itself to some computers and rendering them useless. A large part of the Internet was affected by the so-called Morris worm. What was Morris's punishment? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 James Knox Polk (1795)A native southerner and friend of Andrew Jackson, Polk was elected president of the US in 1845. During his administration, the US made large territorial gains. Polk peacefully negotiated the Oregon border dispute with Britain, while the US victory in the Mexican War secured much of the West. Though an efficient and competent president, Polk was exhausted by the time he left office, and he died three months later. Despite his happy marriage, he had no children. What likely rendered him sterile? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I is the first letter of the alphabet, the first word of the language, the first thought of the mind, the first object of affection.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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(in) up to (one's) eye(ball)s— Extremely busy; deeply involved or engrossed (in or with something). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 National Peanut Festival (2020)The National Peanut Festival is a nine-day festival in Dothan, Alabama, honoring the peanut, a multimillion-dollar crop in Alabama. A highlight is the Goober Parade, for which the streets are paved with peanuts by a giant cement mixer that moves along the line of march throwing out a ton of peanuts, while parade watchers scramble for them. It is said the parade attracts as many as 200,000 spectators. Other events include the selection of Peanut Farmer of the Year, a cooking contest of peanut dishes, crafts exhibits, fireworks, a beauty pageant, and live entertainment. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: tapfaucet - Probably comes from French fausset, meaning "bore, tap." More... tattoo - In the military sense—of a signal summoning soldiers to their quarters at night—it was originally written tap-too, from a Dutch word taptoe, meaning "close the tap" (of a cask), which was told to soldiers when they were expected to return to their quarters. More... tick, tickle - Tick, as in "sound of a clock," "mark of correctness," originally meant "light touch, tap," and its modern senses are recent developments; tickle is probably a derivative of this version of tick. More... tit for tat - Probably borrowed from Dutch tip for tap, "blow for blow." More... | |