Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, December 10, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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greensward
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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ConversionWhen we use a verb or adjective as a noun without changing its spelling in any way, it is called "conversion" or "zero derivation." Conversion is especially common with what part of speech? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Gin CrazeIn 18th-century London, an unprecedented rise in the popularity of gin led to a decades-long epidemic of extreme public drunkenness known as the Gin Craze. Moral outrage and legislative action ensued. Between 1729 and 1751, a series of laws were passed to control gin consumption. Often, such laws resulted in mass law-breaking. Lower wages, rising food prices, and the unprofitability of gin production eventually conspired to end the craze. How had gin become so popular in the first place? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Imperial Japanese Navy Sinks Two British Warships (1941)Japanese aggression in late 1941 prompted Britain to send two of their largest warships—HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse—to the Pacific as a deterrent. However, war in the Pacific escalated with the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7. Three days later, Japanese forces destroyed the Prince of Wales and Repulse near Singapore. The warships were the first sunk by aircraft while at sea. How did British Prime Minister Winston Churchill react to the sinkings? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (1787)A promising student with varied interests, Gallaudet earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from Yale, after which he attended seminary and became a preacher. However, upon meeting 9-year-old Alice Cogswell, the deaf daughter of a neighbor, his interests turned to education of the deaf. He traveled to Europe to study the latest methods, including sign language, and returned to found the first American free school for the deaf. Who founded the university for the deaf named for Gallaudet? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There, then, he sat, the sign and symbol of a man without faith, hopelessly holding up hope in the midst of despair.Herman Melville (1819-1891) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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Miss Right— The perfect or most suitable woman to be in a relationship with or to marry. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Nobel Prize Ceremony (2021)Nobel Prizes are awarded each year to people, regardless of nationality, deemed to have made the most significant practical efforts toward the well-being of the human race. In his will, the Swedish inventor Alfred Nobel (1833-1896) directed that the income from his estate be used to fund five annual prizes. The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901; a sixth prize—in economics—was added in 1969. Winners receive the awards at a special ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden, on December 10, the anniversary of Alfred Nobel's death. The peace prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: magicaeaeae - Meaning "magic," it is derived from aealae artes, "magic arts." More... elicit - Comes from a Latin stem meaning "draw forth by magic or trickery." More... glamour - First meant "magic, enchantment" or "art of contriving magic spells." More... magic - Named for the magi, who were regarded as magicians. More... | |
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