Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, April 17, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
dolorous
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Nouns of AddressNouns of address (also known as vocatives, nominatives of address, or nouns of direct address) identify the person or group being directly spoken to. Like interjections, they are grammatically unrelated to the rest of the sentence—that is, they don’t modify or affect any other part of it. Instead, they are used to let the listener or reader know who you are addressing, or to do what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Down FeathersDown feathers are the soft, fine feathers that lie underneath the tougher exterior feathers of some adult birds and help prevent the loss of body heat. Because of its light weight, compressibility, and ability to retain heat, down is considered the best insulation material for outdoor equipment and is used in goods such as jackets, pillows, and sleeping bags. The discovery of feathers encased in ancient amber suggests that what now-extinct creatures may have also sported down-like feathers? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Ill-Fated Apollo 13 Spacecraft Returns to Earth Safely (1970)Less than a year after the first lunar landing, Apollo 13 departed for the moon. Two days into the mission, an oxygen tank exploded, severely damaging the spacecraft's electrical system, and the landing had to be aborted. Despite limited power, loss of cabin heat, a shortage of potable water, and the need to improvise a carbon dioxide removal system, the craft returned safely to Earth. The immortal line from the mission—"Houston, we have a problem"—is a misquote. What was actually said? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 John Pierpont Morgan (1837)The son of a financier, Morgan began his career as an accountant before being named a partner in the firm that became J.P. Morgan and Company. One of the world's most powerful railroad magnates, he formed a syndicate to supply the US Treasury's depleted gold reserves and financed the mergers that formed General Electric and US Steel Corporation—the world's first billion-dollar corporation. In addition to being a noted art collector, Morgan had one of America's most important collections of what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Rising genius always shoots out its rays from among the clouds, but these will gradually roll away and disappear as it ascends to its steady luster.Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
cloud nine— A state of extreme happiness. Typically appears in the phrase "on cloud nine." More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Verrazzano Day (2019)Observed in New York state, Verrazzano Day commemorates the discovery of New York Harbor by the Italian navigator Giovanni da Verrazzano on April 17, 1524. With the backing of King Francis I of France, Verrazzano sailed his ship to the New World, reaching the Carolina coast in March 1524, and then sailing northward, exploring the eastern coast of North America. He also discovered Block Island and Narragansett Bay in what is now Rhode Island. In naming the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, New York gave Verrazzano official recognition. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: countryemancipate - Means "to free from legal, political, social control or restraint by others," and "to free from bondage." The word's Latin elements are manus, "hand," and capere, "to take," and first meant "to release or set free." More... assassin - Thought by some to derive from an Arabic word meaning "hashish user," as members of an Islamic sect in various countries during the time of the Crusades (13th century) ate hashish to intoxicate themselves before setting out to assasinate enemy leaders. More... patriot - Greek pater, "father," led to Latin patriota, "fellow countryman," which was the original meaning of patriot when it came into English in the late 1500s. More... country, nation - Both came into English c. 1330 and tend to be used interchangeably. Country comes from Latin contrata (terra), "the landscape in front of one, the landscape lying opposite to the view." Nation is from Latin nation-/natio, "race, class of person." More... | |