Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, April 28, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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redolent
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Linking VerbsLinking verbs (also known as copulas or copular verbs) are used to describe the state of being of the subject of a clause. What is the most common linking verb? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Hammond Circus Train WreckOn June 22, 1918, a locomotive pulling 20 empty passenger cars rear-ended the Hagenbeck-Wallace circus train near Hammond, Indiana. The wreck and subsequent fire—likely ignited by the oil lamps in the circus train's wooden sleeping cars—resulted in 86 deaths and 127 injuries. Most of the dead were buried five days later in a nearby cemetery in a section called Showmen's Rest, which had been purchased by the Showmen's League of America just months earlier. What caused the collision? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Mutiny on the HMS Bounty (1789)The most famous mutiny in history, the setting adrift of Bounty captain William Bligh and 18 of his loyal crew members in a longboat, has been much debated. Opponents of the captain claim his tyranny drove the crew to mutiny, but Bligh blamed their betrayal on their newfound love of Tahiti—where they had just spent five months—and its women. The captain and some of those with him survived the ordeal at sea, reaching Timor after a remarkable two-month voyage. What became of the mutineers? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Yi Sun-Sin (1545)Considered a Korean national hero, Yi was a naval commander who repelled the Japanese invasion of Korea in the late 16th century. He is said to have been undefeated in any naval battle in which he was a commander. Part of his success in combat was due to his innovative "turtle ship," which was covered with iron spikes and plates to prevent enemies from boarding. The ship's bow featured a dragon head, through which a cannon could be fired. Why was Yi relieved of command in 1597? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 We do not write because we want to; we write because we have to.W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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filled to the brim— Completely full; teeming; having no room to spare. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Floralia (2021)An ancient Roman festival held in honor of Flora, the goddess of flowers and gardens, the Floralia was first instituted in 238 BCE. In 173 BCE, the Roman Senate made it an annual festival extending for six days—starting on the anniversary of the founding of Flora's temple. Traditionally, the first person to lay a garland on the temple's statue of Flora was destined to have good fortune. The Floralia, which featured small statues of Flora that children would decorate with flowers, is believed to have been the precedent for Christian-oriented May Day celebrations. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: insultinsult - In medicine and science, it can mean "trauma, something that disturbs normal functions." More... political correctness - Can be an insult, accusation, joke, or the name of an effort to change a society by means of wide-ranging but often small-scale cultural reform. More... outrage - The true etymology of outrage has nothing to do with out or rage—rather, it is a borrowing from French outrage, "insult, outrage," based on Latin ultra, "beyond," and -agium, a noun suffix; outrage first meant "lack of moderation." More... umbrage - From Latin umbra, "shadow," in English it originally meant "shade, shadow," then shadowy suspicion, and then displeasure or resentment at a slight or insult. More... | |