Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, October 27, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
short-handed
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
InfinitivesAn infinitive is the most basic form of a verb. It is "unmarked" (not conjugated for tense or person), and it is preceded by the particle "to." What is a split infinitive? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Emanuel SwedenborgSwedenborg was a Swedish scientist, theologian, and mystic. After beginning publication of Sweden's first scientific journal, he gradually shifted toward philosophy of nature and metaphysics, believing that the universe had a basically spiritual structure. In 1744, he claimed to have had a vision of Christ, and afterward spent the rest of his career interpreting the Bible and relating what he had seen in his visions. What was Swedenborg said to have predicted through a purported psychic ability? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Michael Servetus Is Burned at the Stake (1553)When his views were condemned by theologians of the Reformation as well as those of the Catholic Church, Servetus, a Spanish theologian, assumed a new name and began studying medicine. He became known for his ability in dissection and had unusual success as a physician, even serving—confidentially—the archbishop of Vienne. Arrested for the publication of a religious work, he escaped but was seized again, tried, and burned at the stake. He was the first European to make what medical discovery? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Niccolò Paganini (1782)An Italian violinist and composer whose virtuosity is the stuff of legend, Paganini was playing with an orchestra by the age of nine. By the time he reached adulthood, the renowned violinist had also earned a reputation as a shameless womanizer and inveterate gambler. The latter vice once even cost him his prized violin. Nevertheless, he had a profound influence on the evolution of violin technique. Why did the Catholic Church deny him burial in consecrated ground for years following his death? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 To live was then in itself a delight, because living implied seeing.Edwin Abbott (1838-1926) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
golden goose— A person, thing, or organization that is or has the potential to earn a lot of money for a long period of time. Taken from a folk tale of a goose that would lay a golden egg once a day, but was killed by its owner because he wanted all of its gold at once. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Turkmenistan Independence Day (2023)This national holiday commemorates Turkmenistan's independence from the U.S.S.R. on October 27, 1991. Turkmenistan and other republics were gradually able to establish their own autonomous states due to the relaxation of Soviet rule influenced by the policy of perestroika. When the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, their independence was assured. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: podpod - A group of whales (or seals or dolphins), or a small flock of birds. More... boll weevil - From Old English wifel, "beetle," and boll, the pod of the cotton plant, which this beetle attacks. More... chalice - From Latin calix, "cup," and Greek kalux, "pod." More... vanilla - Once thought to be an aphrodisiac because its pod resembled the vagina; its name comes from the Spanish for "little vagina." More... | |