Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, September 6, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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uninitiated
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Absolute PhrasesWe generally use absolute phrases at the beginning of a sentence to introduce additional information, or at the end of a sentence to provide a final comment on the sentence as a whole. It is also possible to use an absolute phrase in the middle of a sentence. What does that placement add to the sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Maple Syrup Urine DiseaseBranched chain ketoaciduria, or maple syrup urine disease (MSUD), is a metabolic disorder in which an enzyme deficiency allows branched-chain amino acids to build up in the blood and urine. Often diagnosed in infancy, the condition gets its name from the distinctive sweet odor—similar to that of maple syrup or burnt caramel—of the sufferer's urine. If left untreated, MSUD can cause severe brain damage or death. Why is the disease more prevalent in children of Amish and Mennonite descent? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Leningrad's Name Reverts to Saint Petersburg (1991)Russia's second largest city, Saint Petersburg is a major seaport, rail junction, and industrial, cultural, and scientific center. The city was built in 1703 by Peter the Great, who sought an outlet to the sea and a port for trade through the Baltic. It was the capital of the Russian Empire from 1712 to 1917. The city's name was changed to Petrograd in 1914 and Leningrad in 1924. The city's original name, Saint Petersburg, was restored in 1991. Who made the decision to restore the original name? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jane Addams (1860)In 1889, with Ellen Gates Starr, Addams founded Hull House in Chicago, one of the first social settlements in the US. Based on the settlements begun in England by Samuel Barnett, Hull House served as a community center for the poor and as a center for social reform, and influenced the settlement movement throughout the country. An active reformer throughout her career, Addams was a leader in the women's suffrage and pacifist movements. With whom did she share the 1931 Nobel Peace Prize? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Oh sleep! it is a gentle thing,Beloved from pole to pole. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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cloud the issue— To obfuscate or distract from the topic at hand by introducing irrelevant and/or misleading information. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 United Tribes International Powwow (2018)The United Tribes International Powwow takes place every year over four days in early September at United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, North Dakota. The event typically draws 20,000 to see more than 1,500 drummers and dancers representing about 70 Native American tribes. Contests are held for all age groups in singing, dancing, and drumming. Other festival events include a parade, a softball tournament, arts and crafts, and a national Miss Indians pageant for contestants between the ages of 17 and 26. A non-alcohol event, the powwow is open to all. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: summitcolophon - A crowning or finishing touch, from Greek kolophon, "summit" or "finishing stroke." More... knoll - The summit or rounded top of a mountain or hill, it seems to derive from Old Teutonic knoo-lo, meaning "ball, clod, knot." More... acrobat - Derived from Greek akrobatos, "walking on tiptoe," from Greek akron, "summit," and baino, "walk." More... | |