Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, November 10, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
blather
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
VerbsVerbs are used to indicate the actions, processes, conditions, or states of beings of people or things. Verbs constitute the root of the predicate. What is the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 The SphinxThe sphinx was a mythical beast of ancient Egypt, usually represented in sculpture in a recumbent position with the head of a man and the body of a lion. The most famous of these is the Great Sphinx at Giza, built around 2500 BCE and considered by the ancients as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. In Greek mythology, a sphinx poses a version of this famous riddle to Oedipus: "What walks on four feet in the morning, on two at noon, and on three in the evening?" What is the answer? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Henry Wirz Executed for War Crimes in American Civil War (1865)In 1864, Wirz, a Confederate officer, became superintendent of Georgia's Andersonville prison, officially known as Camp Sumter. Providing only makeshift shelters, the prison confined tens of thousands of Union soldiers and became notorious for conditions so appalling that 13,000 of them died. Wirz was later convicted of conspiring to murder prisoners and hanged, becoming the only person executed for war crimes committed in the American Civil War. What was Wirz's occupation before the war? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 William Hogarth (1697)Hogarth was a British painter and engraver who began his career as an apprentice to a silversmith at the age of 15. At 22, he opened his own engraving and printing shop. His first successes were satirical engravings that attacked contemporary taste and questioned the art establishment. His efforts to protect artists against art piracy were instrumental in the passage of Britain's first copyright act in 1735. What 20th century composer wrote an opera inspired by Hogarth's Rake's Progress? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 God...doth hang the greatest weights upon the smallest wires.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
good God!— An oath expressing surprise, shock, frustration, anger, or annoyance. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 St. Martin's Eve (2023)Traditionally, children in Estonia go from door to door at dusk on St. Martin's Eve in much the same way that American children trick-or-treat on Halloween. If they are not welcomed into the house and given treats, they retaliate by singing rude and uncomplimentary songs. Usually, they are ushered into the kitchen, where such delicacies as apples, nuts, cookies, and raisin bread are handed out. Turnips are another prized gift, as is viljandi kama, a kind of meal comprised of grains and dried vegetables mixed with sour milk, sugar, and cream that is regarded as a special treat. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: luckhapless, happiness - Hapless means one is lacking hap, "good fortune, luck"; the words happy and happiness also have the root "hap." More... happen - Fairly new to English, from hap, "chance, luck," which was borrowed from Old Norse happ. More... fortune - Latin fors, "chance," formed fortuna, "that which fate brings along," hence fortune, "luck" or "good luck." More... potluck - Comes from the practice of throwing leftovers in a pot—with luck determining how good the stew would taste. More... | |