Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, February 28, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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inebriate
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Interrogative AdjectivesLike all adjectives, interrogative adjectives (also known as "interrogative determiners") modify nouns and pronouns. English has three interrogative adjective. What are they? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The South Sea BubbleThe South Sea Bubble was one of the earliest modern financial crises. It involved the South Sea Company, which was established in 1711 by the lord treasurer of England and was expected to be extremely profitable. Touting exclusive trading rights with Spanish South America, it sparked wild speculation that rocketed its share price to £1,000 in August 1720. The following month, it collapsed. Thousands were ruined—including many members of the government. What was the company's true purpose? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 NATO's First Military Action (1994)Founded in 1949 by the US, Canada, and 10 European countries as a security pact against the Soviet bloc, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization did not actually perform any military operations for its first 45 years in existence. With the fall of the Soviet Union, however, its focus shifted to regional peacekeeping—and thus, in 1994, NATO forces took action in the Bosnian War. After the September 11 attacks, NATO invoked Article 5 of its charter for the first time in history. What is Article 5? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Michel de Montaigne (1533)On his 38th birthday, Montaigne retreated to his library in a tower of his family's French château, and there he spent most of the next decade thinking, reading, and writing. The result was Essais, or Attempts, a series of short prose reflections on many subjects that form one of the most captivating and intimate self-portraits ever written. Montaigne's Essais established the essay as a literary form. What personal tragedy may have prompted Montaigne to begin writing? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It's so easy to be wicked without knowing it, isn't it?Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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lay (oneself) out— To put in a great deal of effort; to inconvenience oneself or go through a lot of trouble. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Marzas (2021)On the last night of February and the first of March in Spain, young marceros, or March serenaders, wander through the streets singing songs to their girlfriends and asking for donations of food and sweets to celebrate the arrival of spring. The term marzas refers both to the traditional songs they sing and to the gifts they receive. Although the songs themselves vary, they always mention the month of March and the coming of spring, leading many to believe that the tradition has its roots in pagan rituals celebrating the passing of winter. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: nerveaction potential - A brief electrical signal transmitted along a nerve or muscle fiber following stimulation. More... carpal tunnel syndrome - Describes a compression of a nerve over the carpal bones (eight small bones of the wrist) through a passage (tunnel) at the front of the wrist. More... obdormition - Numbness caused by pressure on a nerve, as when a limb is "asleep." More... funny bone - A nerve, not a bone; the name is a pun on the humerus, the arm bone that gets strange tingles when it is bumped. More... | |