Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, April 12, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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surfactant
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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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 KaraokeKaraoke, a form of entertainment in which amateur performers sing songs using pre-recorded music, was popularized by Japanese musician Daisuke Inoue in the 1970s. Inoue invented a coin-operated music player in 1971 after fans requested recordings of his performances—they wanted to sing along with the music on a company retreat. He never patented the karaoke technology and thus forfeited a potential fortune. What song has been banned at many bars in the Philippines for causing too many fights? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Euro Disney Resort, Now Disneyland Paris, Opens (1992)Disneyland Paris is a resort complex located in the suburbs of Paris, France. Opened in 1992 as Euro Disney Resort, it features two theme parks, an entertainment district, and seven hotels. Initially, park attendance, hotel occupancy, and revenues fell below projections, but things began to turn around in 1995, with Euro Disney S.C.A. reporting its first quarterly profit. Today, the resort is one of Europe's leading tourist destinations. What were some of the objections to building this resort? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Antoine Laurent de Jussieu (1748)A member of the French de Jussieu family of distinguished botanists, Antoine Laurent de Jussieu categorized plants into families and developed a system of plant classification. He elaborated on the system of classification of his uncle, Bernard de Jussieu, in Genera plantarum, a work which influenced later systems of classification. He was professor at the Museum of Natural History, Paris, and organized its botanical collection. What other members of the de Jussieu family were botanists? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Nature has left this tincture in the blood,That all men would be tyrants if they could. Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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in (someone's) wheelhouse— In, related to, or matching someone's general interests, abilities, or area of familiarity; in someone's comfort zone. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Cosmonauts Day (2024)On April 12, 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to travel in outer space. April 12 was declared Cosmonauts Day in Gagarin's honor. Official ceremonies on this day begin in the Moscow suburb of Korolyov, well known as the center of Russian rocket production, where officials and former cosmonauts lay flowers at a statue of Gagarin. The general public celebrates the day in a less formal manner: some place flowers at statues of Gagarin in various cities, while others attend space-themed art and film exhibitions. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: retreatretreatant - A person taking part in a retreat. More... anabasis, catabasis - An anabasis is a military expedition and a catabasis is the retreat of an army. More... ivory tower - Suggests elegant detachment in a cool, white aerie, where a poet or philosopher might retreat to think and write. More... resile, arsle - To resile or arsle is to recoil, retreat, or draw back. More... | |