Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, September 2, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
inundate
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Past Perfect Continuous TenseThe past perfect continuous tense is used to describe an action that began and was still in progress in the past before another past action started. How does it differ from the past perfect tense? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Black SwansIn Europe, where there are no black swans, the bird was historically thought to be an impossibility, leading to its use as a metaphor for something that does not exist. Then, in 1697, Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh sighted one on a river in Australia, where it is found in wetlands. Today, it is an important cultural symbol of Western Australia, where its image has been used on stamps, signs, currency, and the state flag. How does the black swan appear in the legends of aboriginal peoples? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Paddy Roy Bates Founds His Own Nation (1967)The Principality of Sealand is a purported micronation located on Roughs Tower, a World War II-era British sea fort located in the North Sea six miles (10 km) off the coast of Suffolk, England. Since 1966, the installation has been occupied by the associates and family of Paddy Roy Bates, a former British Army major and pirate radio broadcaster who claimed it as a sovereign and independent state in 1967. What is the international community's position on the fort's status as a sovereign nation? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Christa McAuliffe (1948)McAuliffe, a high school history teacher, was among the seven crew members killed when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded soon after its launch in 1986. She had been selected to be the first civilian in space from a field of more than 11,000 applicants to NASA's Teacher in Space program, and she was slated to teach two lessons during the flight. In 2004, she was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. What happened to the teacher chosen as McAuliffe's backup? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 A lifetime of happiness! No man alive could bear it: it would be hell on earth.George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
make (something) up as (one) goes (along)— To improvise continuously as one does something; to do something without formal guidelines, structure, rules, etc. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Vietnam National Day (2021)The Socialist Republic of Vietnam observes its declaration of independence from France as a national holiday. On this day in 1945, Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969) proclaimed the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. To celebrate Vietnam's national holiday, people gather in major cities, including Hanoi, for speeches, parades, fireworks, and other festivities. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: troopssquadron - Borrowed from Italian squadrone, from Latin quadrare, "square"; the sense of "military group" comes from an earlier "square formation of troops." More... campaign - First meant an open tract of land, from Latin campus, "level ground," and the change to a military meaning came from troops "taking the field"—moving from fortress or town to open country—from which the political sense evolved, referring to the organized efforts of office-seekers to sway public opinion or influence their vote at an upcoming election. More... echelon - Comes from French echelle, "ladder," from Latin scala, and first meant a formation of troops. More... corporal - Its military meaning came from "the head of a body of troops," from French caporale. More... | |