Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, May 18, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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spurious
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using "To Be"The verb "to be" is the most common linking verb. It can link the subject to an adjective (known as a "predicative adjective") that describes it, or to a noun, noun phrase, or pronoun that renames it. What are these are collectively known as? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 SiriusSirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Located in the constellation Canis Major, it is one of the stars nearest to Earth. Because Sirius appears to follow at the heels of Orion the hunter, it is often called the "Dog Star." Many cultures have attached special significance to Sirius. Ancient Egyptians equated it with the goddess Sopdet, while the ancient Romans associated its rising at dawn with the hottest part of the year—the "dog days." What controversies has Sirius inspired? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Plessy v. Ferguson: "Separate but Equal" Ruled Constitutional (1896)In this case, the US Supreme Court upheld a Louisiana statute mandating racially segregated railroad cars, ruling that the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment dealt with political and not social equality. This provided constitutional sanction for the adoption of the Jim Crow laws. Justice Henry Billings Brown wrote the majority opinion, stating that "separate but equal" laws did not imply one race's inferiority to another. What prompted Homer Plessy to serve as the case's plaintiff? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Isabella d'Este (1474)One of the leading women of the Italian Renaissance, d'Este was a major cultural and political figure. She had a shrewd political acumen and ruled Mantua as regent for her son after the death of her husband. Known as "The First Lady of the World," she was well-educated, a skilled musician and singer, and a renowned patron of the arts. Her simple style made her a trendsetter, and her fashion was imitated throughout Italy and France. Which artist did she repeatedly ask to paint her portrait? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Abstain and enjoy.Aesop (620 BC-560 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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take ill— To be or become sick or unwell. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Toshogu Haru-No-Taisai (2022)This festival provides the most spectacular display of ancient samurai costumes and weaponry in Japan. The Toshogu Shrine, in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, was built in 1617 to house the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), the first of the Tokugawa shoguns. On the first day of the festival, dignitaries and members of the Tokugawa family make offerings to the deities of the shrine, and warriors on horseback shoot at targets with bows and arrows. The next morning, more than 1,000 people take part in the procession from Toshogu to Futarasan Shrine, including hundreds of samurai warriors. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: meltingfondue - Comes from French fondre, "to melt." More... relent, resolve - Relent and resolve originally meant "melt, dissolve" in literal (under the influence of heat) and figurative senses. More... eliquate - To melt or liquefy. More... clarify - To make clear by removing impurities or solid matter, as by heating gently; to purify butter by melting. More... | |