Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, April 1, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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propinquity
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Personal Pronouns - CaseCase is the manner by which a noun is inflected depending on its grammatical function as a subject or object in a sentence. While the English language has largely discarded its case system, personal pronouns are one area in which the case system is still active, being inflected depending on whether they function as what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The History of Opium UseThe medicinal properties of opium have been known for millennia, and by 4000 BCE, both Sumerian and European cultures were using it as a narcotic. Early in the 19th century, British merchants began smuggling opium into China, and by 1905, more than a quarter of China's male population was addicted to the drug. The generous use of opium-derived morphine in treating wounded American Civil War soldiers also produced many addicts. How much morphine does one gram of poppy seeds contain? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Apple Inc. Is Formed (1976)Apple Computer, Inc., was the first successful personal computer company. The company has its roots in the Jobs family's garage, where cofounders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak assembled the first Apple computer. Consisting of a handmade motherboard, the Apple I did not even include a monitor or keyboard. The Apple II, introduced the next year with a plastic case and color graphics, launched Apple to success. By 1980, Apple had earned more than $100 million. How much did an Apple I cost in 1976? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Lon Chaney (1883)Chaney was an American silent-film actor. Born to parents who were both deaf and mute, he learned to express himself through pantomime at an early age. He moved to Hollywood in 1912 and became one of the biggest stars of the time, appearing in more than 150 silent films. Known as "the man of a thousand faces," he masterfully used makeup to play tortured, grotesque characters in horror films such as The Phantom of the Opera. How did fake snow made of corn flakes contribute to his death? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Everything is self-evident.Rene Descartes (1596-1650) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have a good name (somewhere or in something)— To have a respected reputation (in something or some place). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Easter (Hollywood, California) (2018)The early Christians believed that on Easter morning, the sun danced in honor of the resurrection of Christ, which led to the custom of rising before dawn to witness the phenomenon. At the Hollywood Bowl, a huge outdoor amphitheater in the Hollywood Hills, California, the Easter sunrise service is attended by about 30,000 people, who spend the night in the stadium. About 50,000 calla lilies decorate the stage, where a huge choir and a symphony orchestra perform the Hallelujah chorus from Handel's Messiah and traditional Easter hymns. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: scrapmammock - A scrap, shred, or piece that is torn or broken off. More... riffraff - Rif/riff, "spoil, strip," and raf, "carry off," combined as rif et raf in French, then went to English as riff and raff, "everything, every scrap," and then riffraff. More... scrip - Can be a scrap of paper with writing on it. More... tatter - A scrap of cloth, from Old Norse totrar, "rags"; often used as tatters. More... | |