Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, June 11, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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blithe
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Personal Pronouns - PersonGrammatical person refers to the perspectives of the personal pronouns used to identify a person in speech and text (e.g. first, second, and third person). What is the generic "you," and when is it used? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Robben IslandRobben Island is a mile-wide island off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa. Stone-age people lived there thousands of years ago when sea levels were lower and the area was easily accessible. Starting in the late 17th century, the island was used to isolate lepers and, later, political prisoners such as Nelson Mandela, who was held there from 1964 to 1982. In the 1600s, a ship laden with millions of dollars worth of gold sank off the island's coast. Why has no one recovered the treasure? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Battle of Jargeau Begins (1429)After helping break the English siege of Orléans during the Hundred Years' War, teenage heroine Joan of Arc set her sights on recapturing the Loire River valley, beginning with the town of Jargeau. Though the post was heavily fortified and well defended, the French soon gained the upper hand. After Jargeau, a number of other English strongholds fell in quick succession, paving the way for Charles VII's coronation at Rheims. What nearly killed Joan as she scaled a ladder during the battle? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Joseph Warren (1741)A Boston physician, Warren became a political leader in the American Revolution after the passage of the hated 1765 Stamp Act. In 1774, he drafted the Suffolk Resolves, which advocated forcible resistance to the British and were endorsed by the Continental Congress. In April of the following year, he dispatched William Dawes and Paul Revere to warn fellow patriots that the British were marching on Concord. He was killed months later at Bunker Hill. Why was his body buried four times? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I hope that posterity will judge me kindly, not only as to the things which I have explained, but also to those which I have intentionally omitted so as to leave to others the pleasure of discovery.Rene Descartes (1596-1650) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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head the ball— A stupid, foolish, or idiotic person; someone who is crazy or mentally unstable. Primarily heard in Ireland. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Fronleichnamsfest (Corpus Christi, Germany) (2020)Corpus Christi Day in Germany is celebrated with colorful processions where the Sacrament and other holy symbols are carried through villages, where streets are decorated with flowers and greenery. The most picturesque of these processions take place in Bavaria, where Corpus Christi is a legal holiday. Some are held on lakes rather than in the streets, with flower-decked boats carrying members of the procession and worshippers across crystal clear waters. The processions at Lake Staffelsee and Lake Chiemsee in Upper Bavaria are among the most dramatic. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: refugeasylum - Comes from Greek asulon, "refuge," from asulos, "inviolable." More... bast - A word for an asylum, refuge, or sanctuary. More... harbor - First meant "shelter" and "lodging," and that is how the word first entered English place-names, as a "place of shelter; refuge" for a crowd of people. A port is a haven for vessels and it is equipped for loading and unloading ships, while a harbor is a haven for vessels but does not necessarily have onshore facilities. More... redoubt - Has no connection to "doubt," but comes from French redoute and Latin reductus, "hidden place, refuge, stronghold." More... | |