Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, October 28, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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descry
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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SlashesThe slash ( / )—technically known as a virgule but also called a slant, solidus, or stroke—serves a number of purposes in writing. What are they? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Babington PlotMary Queen of Scots was the Catholic monarch during the Scottish Reformation. Forced to abdicate, she fled to England and was welcomed but then imprisoned by Elizabeth I, who considered Mary a threat due to her Catholicism and her strong claim to the throne through her grandmother, Margaret Tudor. During her 18-year imprisonment, Mary endlessly schemed to gain her freedom but was beheaded when the Babington Plot—to murder Elizabeth and place Mary on the throne—was discovered. Who was Babington? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Siege of La Rochelle Ends (1628)In 1598, French King Henry IV issued the Edict of Nantes to restore internal peace in France, ravaged by the Wars of Religion. The edict gave the French Protestants, or Huguenots, extensive rights and control of certain cities, including La Rochelle, which became a stronghold for them. However, Henry's successor, Louis XIII, and his minister, Cardinal Richelieu, resolved to crush the Huguenots, and La Rochelle fell after a 14-month siege. How did the royal forces block sea access to the city? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jonas Salk (1914)Salk was an American physician and microbiologist renowned for his work in developing the first vaccine against polio. He began his groundbreaking studies on viruses and immunization with the influenza virus. Later, while working with other scientists to classify the poliovirus, he confirmed earlier studies that identified three strains, and he showed that the killed virus of each strain could induce antibody formation without producing disease. Who owned the patent for Salk's vaccine? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Men are all right for friends, but as soon as you marry them they turn into cranky old fathers, even the wild ones. They begin to tell you what's sensible and what's foolish, and want you to stick at home all the time. I prefer to be foolish when I feel like it, and be accountable to nobody.Willa Cather (1873-1947) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a golden hello— A sum of money paid to a new employee as a benefit for being recruited by a company. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Czechoslovak Independence Day (2023)The Republic of Czechoslovakia was founded on October 28, 1918, when the National Committee in Prague proclaimed independence from the Austrian Hapsburg emperors and took over the administration of an independent Czechoslovak state. Independence Day was widely celebrated in Czechoslovakia until the Communists seized power there in 1948, but the day continued to be recognized in the US with special banquets, addresses, religious services, and cultural programs. Communities with large Czech or Slovak populations may also mark the occasion. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: piercesashimi - Thinly sliced raw fish with a sauce, it is a compound formed from sashi, "pierce," and mi, "flesh." More... point - "Sharp end" is the etymological notion underlying point, from Latin pungere, "pierce, prick." More... stake - Meaning "post," it comes from a Germanic base meaning "pierce, prick." More... stick - Comes from Germanic meaning "be sharp, pierce, prick"; the piercing notion led to "becoming fixed in something" and then "adhering." More... | |