Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, September 17, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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dapper
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Structures of Declarative SentencesA declarative sentence makes a statement or argument about what is, was, or will be the case. Which of the four of types of sentence structures—simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex sentences—can be made into declarative sentences? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Last MealThroughout history, prisoners condemned to death have customarily been offered a special "last meal." In premodern Europe, it was a symbolic social act where, by accepting the last meal, the condemned was believed to forgive the executioner, judge, and witnesses. Although alcohol was once used to soothe prisoners and keep them from lashing out during the execution process, alcohol is now generally barred from these meals. What are some of the last meals chosen by notable inmates over the years? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Battle of Antietam (1862)In September 1862, Confederate General Robert E. Lee crossed the Potomac River to invade Maryland and Pennsylvania. He was met by Union General George McClellan. The resulting Battle of Antietam, fought near Sharpsburg, Maryland, was the bloodiest single-day battle in American history, with a total of 23,000 casualties. It was a Union victory only in the sense that Lee's invasion was stopped. McClellan was later removed from command and was faulted for failing to act on what crucial opportunity? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 William Carlos Williams (1883)Trained as a pediatrician, Williams wrote poetry and practiced medicine in his New Jersey hometown. Regarded as one of the most original American poets of the 20th century, he closely observed American life and recorded his impressions in a lucid style. His poems, such as "The Red Wheelbarrow" and "This Is Just To Say," are noted for making the ordinary appear extraordinary. He lost a post at the Library of Congress after one of his works drew scorn—as a result of what misunderstanding? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 That is the natural way of women...to scorn the one that loves them, and love the one that hates them.Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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I shudder to think— It is too worrying or unpleasant for me to think about something that might happen or might have happened. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Visvakarma Puja (2020)Dedicated to Visvakarma, the patron god of all Hindu artisans, the Festival of Tools is a workers' holiday in India dedicated to each individual's most important tool or instrument. A pitcher representing the god is set in a place of honor in every home and shop, and before it the people lay their most important tool. Sometimes incense is burned or scented water is sprinkled over the tool. Workers give thanks for their tools and implore Visvakarma's help in plying their trade. After this ceremony is over, people gather in parks or public places and spend the rest of the day with games and feasting. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: tidesriver estuary - The mouth of a river that is influenced by the tides. More... ebb - Suggests the receding of something (e.g. tides) that commonly comes and goes. More... riptide - Is actually a current, not a tide. More... canonical hours - The seven canonical hours of the church were called tides, and tide—from an Indo-European root meaning "to divide"—is used with other words to denote a definite interval of time: noontide, Eastertide, eventide, summertide, etc. More... | |