Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, August 29, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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petrolatum
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Introducing Lists with ColonsThe most commonly cited use for a colon is to introduce a list of information. In many cases, the list is simply an extension of the existing sentence. What is this type of list known as? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Doughnuts or Donuts?Regardless of how you spell this sweet, deep-fried treat—doughnut or donut—its origins remain a mystery. Some claim that Dutch settlers brought it to North America. Others maintain that a Danish sea captain impaled a fried cake on a wheel spoke to free his hands during a storm and, thus, invented the doughnut's hole. The two most common types are ring-shaped doughnuts and filled doughnuts, flattened spheres injected with a sweet filling. In what countries can you get a meat-filled doughnut? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 US Air Force Nuclear Weapons Incident (2007)In 2007, six cruise missiles with nuclear warheads were mistakenly loaded onto a US Air Force bomber and transported from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana without the knowledge the flight crew. A military investigation of the incident found that a number of procedures for handling nuclear weapons had been carried out improperly by numerous service members. Disciplinary actions were taken against many officers, including what high-ranking officials? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ingrid Bergman (1915)Bergman was a Swedish actress who specialized in portrayals of strong, sophisticated women. Her radiance and unaffected charm made her a star in films such as Casablanca, Gaslight, and Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious. A scandal caused by her affair with director Roberto Rossellini kept her off the US screen for seven years and forced her to return to Europe until 1956, when she made her successful Hollywood comeback in Anastasia. How many Academy Awards did she win? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Man is by nature a political animal.Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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blood in the water— The exposure of a competitive weakness in an opponent that arouses increased competitive aggression in others. Likened to the literal presence of blood in water that causes aquatic predators (such as sharks) to seek out and attack prey. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Canadian National Exhibition (2019)The first Canadian National Exhibition was held in 1879 in Toronto. The fair moved briefly to Ottawa, but it returned to Toronto and was called the Toronto Industrial Exhibition until 1921, when the name was changed to reflect its nationwide appeal. Located on the shores of Lake Ontario, about 10 minutes from downtown Toronto, the fairgrounds occupy 350 acres of lawns, gardens, pavilions, and Victorian-style buildings. Events include an air show, a horse show, celebrity appearances, and much more. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: papyrusvolume - Originally the name of a scroll or roll of papyrus, from Latin volvere, "to roll up." More... bible - Derived from biblios, the name for the papyrus produced in the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos. More... schedule - Goes back to Greek skhede, for "leaf of papyrus"; it started out meaning a ticket or a brief note. More... tome - Comes from Greek tomos, "roll of papyrus," and was originally a word for one volume of a larger work. More... | |