Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, September 4, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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allegory
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Superlative AdjectivesSuperlative adjectives describe the attribute of a person or thing that is the highest (or lowest) in degree compared to the members of the noun’s group. What suffix is added to the end of an adjective to form a superlative adjective? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Ceramic KnivesCeramic knives provide certain advantages over metal blades. They are harder than steel and hold their edge longer. On the rare occasion when a ceramic knife needs sharpening, a grinding wheel coated in diamond dust must be used. Their nonconductive, nonmagnetic properties make them useful in bomb disposal, and their resistance to corrosion is ideal for scuba divers. However, ceramic knives are also more brittle and shatter more easily than metal ones. Why is metal often used in their handles? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Maiden Flight of the First US Airship (1923)The USS Shenandoah was the first American-built rigid dirigible. Its design was based on a German zeppelin downed during WWI, and it was the first ship to be filled with helium—making it safer than hydrogen-filled crafts. A year after its maiden voyage, it became the first rigid airship to cross North America. While on another tour in 1925, it passed through a storm and was torn apart. Thirteen crew members died in the crash. How did those who survived the disaster manage to do so? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Constantijn Huygens (1596)Constantijn Huygens was a Dutch humanist and poet and the father of famed scientist Christiaan Huygens. His descriptive and satirical poems were highly esteemed, and both English and French monarchs knighted him in recognition of his genius. Thousands of his letters have survived to this day and attest to his wide acquaintance with contemporary scholars, including Descartes and Donne. Huygens was also an accomplished musician and composer. How old was he when he died? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There is—though I do not know how there is or why there is—a sense of infinite peace and protection in the glittering hosts of heaven.H.G. Wells (1866-1946) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have a go (at something)— To attempt to do or undertake something, especially that which is unfamiliar or new. Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Roman Games (2023)Like the Plebeian Games, the Roman Games were held in honor of Jupiter. They date back to the dedication of the temple to Jupiter on the Capitoline hill on September 13, 509 BCE, and were originally a one-day event. By the time of Caesar, the Games lasted a full 15 days, beginning on September 4. A grand procession to the Circus Maximus, a huge arena just outside Rome, signaled the beginning of the festival. Events included boxing, running, and wrestling contests, occasional mock battles, and two- and four-horse chariot races. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: unexpectedvisit, visitation - A visit is an instance of visiting; a visitation is an act of visiting, and carries the connotation of an unexpected or undesired occurrence. More... October surprise - An unexpected, but popular, political act made just prior to a November election, in an attempt to win votes. More... off the wall - Alludes to squash or handball, when a shot comes off the wall at an unexpected or erratic angle. More... wrong-foot - To disconcert by doing something unexpected. More... | |