Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, November 5, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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engrossing
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using the Passive VoiceThe passive voice may be used to emphasize the importance of the receiver of the action. How is this different from the active voice? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The HammockA hammock is a length of canvas or heavy netting suspended between two trees or other supports and used as a seat or bed. The hammock and its name were introduced to Europeans by Christopher Columbus, who encountered them in the New World. Hammocks have been used to save space on naval vessels and as a means of conveyance—similar to a stretcher—in tropical areas. They are symbolic of relaxation and are popular with hikers. A spreader bar can make a hammock wider but comes with what drawback? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Hither Green Rail Crash (1967)The Sunday evening express train from Hastings to London was traveling 70 miles per hour (113 km/h) when it struck a stressed and fractured rail not far from London's Hither Green depot. The packed train derailed and partially overturned, killing 49 people in one of the worst rail disasters in British history. Several other trains may have successfully passed over the broken rail earlier. What safety feature, present on the particular train that derailed, may have triggered the accident? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Mahmud Ghazan (1271)One of the most prominent Mongol leaders of Persia, Ghazan was raised Buddhist but converted to Islam in 1295 before inheriting his father's throne. Well educated and fluent in several languages, he tasked his vizier with composing a history of the Mongols. In Syria, he successfully fought his family's enemy, the Mamluks, but they reoccupied the area upon his departure. What European nation became so fascinated with Mongol culture in the 13th century that many children were named for Ghazan? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The man who talks everlastingly and promiscuously, who seems to have an exhaustless magazine of sound, crowds so many words into his thoughts that he always obscures, and very frequently conceals them.Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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in (one's) dotage— In a state of senility or mental decline due to old age. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Return Day (2020)In the early 19th century, the rural residents of Sussex County, Delaware, had to travel to Georgetown to cast their ballots on Election Day, and the results were read two days later from the courthouse. Farmers in the surrounding areas would travel to Georgetown with their families to hear the announcement and to join in the festivities. Residents continue the tradition today, which includes a formal announcement of the results, parades, picnics, and military displays. Street vendors sell roast oxen, and there is a parade down Market Street. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: wonderadmire - Can mean "to wonder at, to be slightly surprised." More... marvel - Traces to Latin mirabilia, from mirari, "wonder at." More... nine days' wonder - An old term (c. 1325) for an event or phenomenon that attracts enthusiastic interest for a short while, but is then ignored or forgotten. More... Wonder Bread - Got its name from a vice president who watched a hot-air balloon race shortly before the bread needed a name—"wonder" is how he described the event and then the bread. More... | |