Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, September 18, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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counterbalance
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Dummy PronounsDummy pronouns are words that function grammatically as pronouns, but which do not have antecedents like normal pronouns do. This means that, unlike normal pronouns, dummy pronouns do not replace a noun, phrase, or clause. What do they refer to in a sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The SiddhisSiddhi is a Sanskrit term that can be translated as "perfection," "attainment," or "success." It can be any unusual capability and, in some schools of Hinduism and Buddhism, refers to the acquisition of supernatural powers such as clairvoyance, levitation, and bilocation. Some of the many other siddhis include the ability to materialize objects, change one's size, and access memories from past lives. According to the Yoga Sutras, such powers can be attained in what five ways? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Fashoda Incident (1898)Toward the end of the 19th century, France and Britain were brought to the brink of war by territorial disputes in Africa. Tensions came to a head at a strategically located fort at Fashoda, Sudan, occupied by the French mere months before a British force arrived with its own designs on the area. A standoff ensued, but the French, fearing an outbreak of hostilities, eventually withdrew. The diplomatic solution to this political crisis is widely seen as a precursor to what Anglo-French agreement? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jean Bernard Léon Foucault (1819)Foucault, a French physicist, invented the Foucault pendulum and used it to provide experimental proof that the Earth rotates on its axis. He improved astronomical instruments, especially the telescope, and with Armand Fizeau took the first clear photograph of the Sun. Foucault is also known for determining the speed of light with extreme accuracy and showing that light travels slower in water than in air. He had originally studied medicine but abandoned it for physics due to a fear of what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Do we not all agree to call rapid thought and noble impulse by the name of inspiration?George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a man/woman on a mission— A person who is fiercely determined to do or get what he or she wants. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Fiestas Patrias (2021)Fiestas Patrias is the great national two-day holiday in Chile celebrating Independence Day, September 18, and Army Day, September 19. In the days preceding the holiday, fondas (fairs) pop up throughout Chile, and it is a popular time for Chilean rodeos. Huasos (cowboys) compete against one another by attempting to pin a calf against the wall of the medialuna, or arena, with their horse, and are awarded points based on which part of the horse is touching the calf. Because September marks the beginning of spring in Chile, Fiestas Patrias is also a popular occasion for kite flying. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: vowdrawing the nail - Means absolving oneself of a vow. More... vum - To swear or vow. More... votal - Means "associated with or having the nature of a vow." More... vote - From Latin votum, "vow, wish," which was its original meaning in English. The word had a number of meanings—now obsolete—before it took on the sense (in the 15th century) of "a formal expression of one's opinion or approval or disapproval of a matter, especially a candidate, motion, or proposal." More... | |