Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, February 9, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
cutpurse
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Constructing Negative Interrogative SentencesAs with all negative sentences, we generally form the negative interrogative by adding the word "not." How do we know where to put "not" in the sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Messinian Salinity CrisisAbout 5.6 million years ago, the Mediterranean Sea was cut off from the Atlantic Ocean, likely due to tectonic shifts that closed the Strait of Gibraltar. For thousands of years afterward, the Mediterranean evaporated away, becoming saltier and leaving massive deposits of salt and minerals on the sea bed until the sea had disappeared. The straight was reopened and the sea refilled during a massive flood 500,000 years later. Today, the sea is still saltier than the Atlantic Ocean. Why? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 John Quincy Adams Elected US President by Congress (1825)Without a strong party system in place, the 1824 US presidential election was based on regional, rather than party, support. Consequently, of the five candidates who ran for office, none received enough electoral votes to take office, sending the decision to the House of Representatives under the terms of the twelfth amendment. Although Andrew Jackson had earned a plurality of the popular vote, Adams was elected because, according to the Jacksonians, he had struck a "corrupt bargain" with whom? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 James Whitaker Wright (1846)The son of a poor minister, Wright went on to become an extremely wealthy mining company owner. He lived a lavish lifestyle and mingled with the social elite, giving off the appearance of a legitimate and successful businessman. Yet, when his companies collapsed in 1900, it was revealed that he had earned his fortune by defrauding investors. Convicted in 1904 of fraud, he chose to end his own life rather than serve out his prison sentence. How did he kill himself while still in the courthouse? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Reason itself is true and just, but the reason of every particular man is weak and wavering, perpetually swayed and turned by his interests, his passions, and his vices.Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
the Greek calends— A time that is expected to never arrive or occur. (Used after a preposition, especially "at," "on," or "till.") A reference to the day of the new moon and the first day of the month in the ancient Roman calendar, which the Greeks did not observe. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Sugar Ball Show (2020)This temple festival is held at the Haiyunan Buddhist convent of Sifang District in Qingdao, Shandong Province, China. Set for the day of the first spring tide, this festival has been held since the convent was built in the 17th century near the end of the Ming Dynasty. Originally fishermen observed this time to pray for safety and a good harvest. Now sugar balls, also called haws—yams, oranges, and dates dipped in hot syrup and then cooled until crisp—colorfully displayed on long skewers, are specialties of the fair. About 200,000 people attend the show. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: slantwine cradle - A basket (etc.) used to hold wine at a slant. More... slant - A variant of slent, an older word. More... slash - The slash is also called a virgule, diagonal, separatrix, slant, and solidus. More... tilt - Originally meant "fall over," from Germanic taltaz, "unsteady," long before it meant "slant." More... | |