Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, August 16, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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erratum
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Major and Minor SentencesA major sentence (also called a "regular sentence") is any complete sentence that is made up of or contains an independent clause—that is, it has both a subject and a predicate (a verb and any of its constituent parts). What is a minor (or "irregular") sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Pub QuizLargely a British phenomenon that spread to other nations after peaking in the early 1990s, pub quizzes are popular trivia games that take place in pubs around the world. Though participants often have to pay to play, pubs sometimes host free games in order to increase attendance and revenue on less busy nights. In this team game, players work together to win prizes that often include drinks, cash, or vouchers for pub fare. How are pub owners combating the recent spate of high-tech cheating? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Joseph Kittinger Parachutes from a Balloon at 102,800 feet (31,300 m) (1960)Kittinger is a former command pilot and career military officer in the US Air Force known for setting a number of records, including highest parachute jump and fastest speed reached by a human traveling through the atmosphere. As part of the Air Force's Project Excelsior, in 1960, he jumped from a balloon nearly 20 miles above the earth and fell for 4 minutes and 36 seconds before opening his parachute. He reached a speed of 614 mph (988 km/h) and came how close to breaking the sound barrier? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Christian Mortensen (1882)When Mortensen died at the age of 115 years and 252 days, he was the oldest man who had ever lived whose age is undisputed. Mortensen was born in Denmark in 1882 and immigrated to the US in 1903. He worked in various trades until he retired in 1950. Twenty-eight years later, at the age of 96, he reportedly rode his bicycle to a retirement home in San Rafael, California, where he lived for the rest of his life. What advice for living a long life did Mortensen give on his 115th birthday? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 He that hath a satirical vein, as he maketh others afraid of his wit, so he had need be afraid of others' memory.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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against the collar— Difficult, exhausting, or problematic. The phrase originates from the collar on a horse's harness, which tightens on the horse's neck when it travels uphill. Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Daimonji Okuribi (2017)In Japan, the belief that the souls of the dead return to earth during the Obon Festival gave rise to the custom of lighting great bonfires to guide the souls back to heaven after their yearly visit. This custom is known as Daimonji Okuribi, the Great Bonfire Event. In the city of Kyoto, an enormous flammable structure, built in the shape of the Chinese character dai, meaning "big," is set on fire on the hill in back of the Zenrinji Temple. The character is 530 feet tall and 510 feet wide, providing a spectacular display for city residents. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: healthyhealthy, healthful - Healthy is a positive descriptive of a person's (or personified thing's) physical state; healthful is used of something that favorably affects or promotes that state. More... vegete - Describing something healthy and active, flourishing in respect to health and vigor. More... orthorexia - An obsession with eating only "healthy" food. More... insane, insanity - Latin sanus, "healthy," is part of insane and insanity. More... | |