Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, August 23, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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suppliant
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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ConversionWhen we use a verb or adjective as a noun without changing its spelling in any way, it is called "conversion" or "zero derivation." Conversion is especially common with what part of speech? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Stede Bonnet: The Gentleman PirateIn 1717, a moderately wealthy landowner named Stede Bonnet decided to abandoned his wife and children and become a pirate, even though he had no prior sailing experience. He bought a 60-ton sloop that he named Revenge, outfitted it with 10 guns, and proceeded to capture and plunder vessels along the American coast. After about a year and a half of piracy, during which time he partnered with Blackbeard, he was captured and hanged. Why did Bonnet suddenly decide to become a pirate? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Freckleton Air Disaster (1944)On the morning of August 23, 1944, an American B-24 bomber aircraft crashed into the village of Freckleton in Lancashire, England, during a fierce storm. The plane hit the Holy Trinity School, three houses, and a snack bar for American servicemen. Fuel from the plane's ruptured fuel tank created an inferno. Of the 61 people killed in the crash and fire, 38 were children. What reportedly widespread belief among the American airmen about British weather may have contributed to the disaster? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ernst Krenek (1900)Krenek was an Austrian-American composer born in Vienna to Czech parents. He studied in Berlin and Vienna and began composing in the 1920s. His 1926 jazz opera, Johnny Strikes Up, was extremely successful and has been translated into many languages. He explored atonal and 12-tone compositions, which lack a definable key. In 1937, Krenek moved to the US, where he became a citizen in 1945. In 1924, he began a short-lived marriage to the daughter of what famous composer? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last.Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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hold (one's) nerve— To remain calm, steady, and resolute, especially in the face of danger or adversity. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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.jpg) Rishi Panchami (2020)Hindus devote the day of Rishi Panchami to the Sapta Rishis, the seven seers of Brahma: Bhrigu, Pulastya, Kratu, Pulaha, Marichi, Atri, and Vasistha. An earthenware or copper pitcher filled with water is placed on an altar sanctified with cow dung. The seven seers are then worshipped with betel leaf, flowers, camphor, and lamps. Only fruits are eaten on this day. Rishi Panchami is primarily a women's festival, but men may observe it for the well-being and happiness of their wives. Devi Arundhati, the wife of Rishi Vasistha and a model of conjugal excellence, is also worshipped on this day. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: taxexcise - As in tax, it is from Middle Dutch excijs, from Latin accensum, "to tax." More... tax - From Latin taxare, "censure, charge, or compute." More... toll - Traces back to Greek telos, "tax." More... disposable income, surplus income - Disposable income or surplus income is what you have left after taxes and other government obligations—i.e. what you have left to live on. More... | |