Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, February 19, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
billet
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Second ConditionalSecond conditional sentences include a simple past tense verb in the "if clause" and a future tense verb in the main clause, preceded by the auxiliary verb "would." What do these sentences refer to? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 EarwormsKnown scientifically as "involuntary musical imagery," an earworm is a fragment of music that compulsively replays in one's head. The phenomenon, which is distinct from auditory hallucination and is believed to affect nearly everyone to some degree, has been studied by psychologists and neurologists alike. Some notable science fiction stories have concerned fictional songs so catchy that they get stuck in everyone's head, destroying civilization. Do earworms last longer for men or women? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Former US Vice President Aaron Burr Arrested for Treason (1807)Nearly three years after killing Alexander Hamilton in a duel, former US Vice President Aaron Burr was arrested on unrelated charges of treason. Though the exact details of his plan were a mystery even then, he was accused of plotting to establish an independent country of his own, possibly in the American Southwest. He was treated well while imprisoned at Fort Stoddert and was eventually acquitted, but his political career was destroyed. Which of his co-conspirators turned on him? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Carson McCullers (1917)McCullers, born Lula Carson Smith, was an aspiring pianist until she was partly paralyzed by a series of strokes in her early twenties, complications stemming from misdiagnosed rheumatic fever in her adolescence. She went on to study writing instead, publishing her first—and perhaps finest—novel, The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, when she was just 23. It, like many of her works, draws upon her Southern background and explores themes of loss and isolation. Who starred in its film adaptation? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Where peaceAnd rest can never dwell, hope never comes That comes to all. John Milton (1608-1674) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
put (one's/someone's) back up— To be or become angry, hostile, defensive, defiant, or irritable, or to instill such a feeling in someone else. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin (2022)On February 19, 1942, Japanese bomber and fighter planes conducted a devastating air raid on the town of Darwin, the capital city of Australia's Northern Territory. As a tribute to honor the dead and those who defended Darwin, an annual commemoration is held in Bicentennial Park by the Cenotaph, a monument to those slain in World War I. At 9:58, the exact time the attack began, a World War II air raid siren sounds. During some observances, Australian regiments will reenact the attack: ground units fire their guns, and fighter planes perform fly-bys over the memorial site. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: implyimply, infer - A speaker or writer implies, a hearer or reader infers; implications are incorporated in statements, while inferences are deduced from statements. Imply means "suggest indirectly that something is true," while infer means "conclude or deduce something is true"; furthermore, to imply is to suggest or throw out a suggestion, while to infer is to include or take in a suggestion. More... intent, intention - Intent implies a sustained unbroken commitment or purpose, while intention implies an intermittent resolution or an initial aim or plan. More... | |