Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, March 8, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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machination
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Future Perfect TenseWe use the future perfect tense to say that something will finish or be completed at a specific point in the future. How else can the future perfect tense be used? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Sugar GliderFound mainly in Australia and the nearby islands of Tasmania, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia, the sugar glider, or Petaurus breviceps, is a type of small, nocturnal marsupial that glides from tree to tree feeding on insects and nectar. A parachute-like fold of furry skin between its front and hind legs allows it to glide across distances as great as 492 ft (150 m) in much the same way as a flying squirrel. How does a dominant male sugar glider mark his territory? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 US President Ronald Reagan Dubs the USSR an "Evil Empire" (1983)Reagan's strong anti-communist position, evident from the time he began his presidential career, was highlighted in a 1983 speech in which he referred to the USSR as an "evil empire." The phrase became common in Cold War rhetoric and has since entered popular culture, taking on a nearly iconic status. It has been used in a variety of contexts to refer to entities as varied as Wal-Mart and the British Empire. Before what group was Reagan speaking the first time he used the phrase "evil empire"? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 André Michaux (1746)Michaux was a French botanist who traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, and North America. In 1785, the French government sent him to the US to spearhead the first organized investigation of North American plants that could be of use in France. His botanical journeys through the US lasted until 1796, and he recorded his studies in two books on North American botany—one of which is devoted to oaks. He also traveled to the Middle East, where he acquired what Babylonian artifact found near Baghdad? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The wise through excess of wisdom is made a fool.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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ball hog— sports A player who monopolizes the ball without including teammates in an attempt to score, move the ball, or maintain possession. Usually used for basketball and football (soccer). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 International Women's Day (2019)This day commemorating women is one of the most widely observed holidays of recent origin. It has its roots in the March 8, 1857, revolt of women in New York City, protesting conditions in the textile and garment industries, although it wasn't proclaimed a holiday until 1910. In Great Britain and the United States, International Women's Day is marked by special exhibitions, films, etc., in praise of women. In the former U.S.S.R., women received honors for distinguished service in industry, aviation, military service, and other fields. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: tuneaccordion, concertina - Accordion derives from Italian accordare, "to tune," and both it and the concertina operate on the same basic principle; however, the accordion has a pianolike keyboard and is rectangular and bulky, while the concertina has buttons in headboards and is hexagonal and more portable. More... carol - A term which originally referred to a non-religious ring dance accompanied by singing. Eventually it came to mean a merry song with a tune that could be danced to. The Italian friars who lived with St. Francis of Assisi were the first to compose Christmas carols, c. 1410. More... lilt - Comes from a word meaning "pipe," and the noun originally meant "song, tune." More... perseveration - The recurrence of a tune or thought in the mind. More... | |