Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, June 5, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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hookah
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Adverbial NounsAdverbial nouns are nouns or noun phrases that function grammatically as adverbs to modify verbs and certain adjectives. What are adverbial nouns sometimes called? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 LaharsA lahar is a destructive mudflow that travels down the slopes of a volcano when water, often from a heavy rainfall, lake breakout, or water body or glacier displaced or melted by an eruption, mixes with rocky debris and volcanic ash. Lahars can travel up to 60 mph (100 km/h) and are similar to concrete in consistency. In 1985, lahars created by the eruption of Colombia’s Nevado del Ruiz buried 22,000 people in 26 ft (8 m) of mud. What places are considered to be particularly at risk for lahars? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 US Secretary of State George Marshall Announces the Marshall Plan (1947)World War II left the finances and industry of Europe crippled. In 1947, Marshall proposed a plan for the US to finance the European recovery. From 1948 to 1952, it provided almost $13 billion in grants and loans to 17 countries and was a key factor in reviving their economies and stabilizing their political structures. While most of Europe embraced the plan, it was strongly opposed by the Soviet Union and some Eastern European nations. How, according to Marshall, would this plan benefit the US? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 John Couch Adams (1819)Before the planet Neptune was discovered, Adams—an English astronomer and mathematician—correctly predicted its existence and position based on irregularities in the motion of Uranus. However, the credit for the discovery went to Urbain Leverrier, who had come to the same conclusion later but published his findings earlier. In 1846, the planet was first observed by a German astronomer using Leverrier's calculations. A modest man, Adams also declined to publish what other findings? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 History fades into fable; fact becomes clouded with doubt and controversy; the inscription molders from the tablet; the statue falls from the pedestal. Columns, arches, pyramids, what are they but heaps of sand—and their epitaphs, but characters written in the dust?Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have (one's) feet on the ground— To be and remain in a calm, stable, sensible, and pragmatic state or condition; to not be subject to extreme emotional reactions or affected by exceptional changes in one's situation. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Ramayana Ballet (2020)The most spectacular dance-drama on the island of Java, Indonesia, is held on an open-air stage at the Prambanan Temple near Yogyakarta. The ballet is a contemporary abbreviated version of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana, unfolding over the four nights to tell the story of Prince Rama banished from his country to wander for years in the wilderness. More than 100 dancers and players in gamelans (percussive orchestras) present spectacles of monkey armies, giants on stilts, and clashing battles. The rich carvings of the Prambanan temple complex in the background are spotlighted by the moon. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: monkeysmacaque - Based on Bantu kaku, "monkey," and ma, denoting a plural, translating to "some monkeys." More... monkey business - A transfer of the tricks of monkeys to human behavior. More... barrel of monkeys - Monkeys are usually a source of merriment, so if one had a barrelful of them, one supposes this to be quite hilarious; a group of monkeys is actually called a troop. More... see monkeys - To be overcome by the heat while working. More... | |