Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, June 24, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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self-assured
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Gender in NounsThere are some instances in which nouns are declined to show masculine or feminine gender. How is a noun made feminine? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Cottingley FairiesIn the early 20th century, cousins Elsie Wright and Frances Griffiths created a series of photographs in which they were seen interacting with what appear to be fairies. The images provoked heated debate and even gained the attention of famed Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who championed their authenticity. Though the women initially claimed the fairies were real, they finally admitted otherwise in 1981. Even then, Griffiths insisted that one image was genuine. Which one? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Emperor Trajan Inaugurates the Aqua Traiana (109 CE)The Aqua Traiana was an aqueduct built under Roman Emperor Trajan in the 2nd century CE. The structure channeled water to Rome from sources around Lake Bracciano, about 25 mi (40 km) northwest of the city. In 1605, Pope Paul V initiated the Aqua Traiana's repair to augment the city's water supply. Renamed the Acqua Paola in the pope's honor, it was completed in 1612 and boasted a lavish fountain with columns of granite and marble. What is meant by the Roman saying "as good as the Acqua Paola"? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Henry Ward Beecher (1813)Beecher became one of the most famous and influential American ministers of his time for his advocacy of an emotional "gospel of love" Christianity. Every important issue of the day was discussed from his pulpit and in his lectures. He was a leader in the antislavery movement, a proponent of women's suffrage, and an advocate of the theory of evolution. In 1874, however, he became the subject of a sensational adultery trial for an alleged affair with Elizabeth Tilton. What was the verdict? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Insensible as he is to a thousand wants, and removed from harassing cares, may not the savage be the happier man of the two?Herman Melville (1819-1891) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a living soul— A person (who is alive). (Often used in the negative to mean "nobody.") More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Human Towers of Valls (2021)On St. John's Day in the city of Valls in the Catalan region of Spain, a touring acrobatic company, or comparsa, presents the human tower of Valls. The acrobats form human towers or pyramids with four to six men at the base and one or more children at the top. The towers can extend to eight times a man's height, and they are formed to the musical accompaniment of the gralla, or native oboe. There is a point during the performance at which the children on top salute, the music ceases, and the entire structure stands immobile for several seconds before collapsing gracefully to the ground. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: sailingaloof - Comes from sailing, in which ships keep clear of coastal rocks by holding the vessel "luff"—"to the windward"; so, to hold "a-luff" means to "keep clear." More... jibe - Meaning "be compatible, consistent," it may come from the earlier jibe, "to shift a sail from side to side while sailing in the wind." More... plain sailing - Probably comes from plane sailing, a way of determining a ship's position based on its moving on a plane (flat surface). More... aback - Originated in sailing, as a ship was taken aback when a strong gust of wind suddenly blew the sails back against the mast, causing the ship to stop momentarily. More... | |