Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, September 8, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
necrology
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Personal Pronouns - Reflexive PronounsReflexive pronouns are used when someone or something is both the subject and the object of the same verb—i.e., when both performing and receiving the action. What are the nine reflexive pronouns? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Iron LungAn iron lung—or negative pressure ventilator—is an airtight metal tank that encloses all of the body except the head and forces the lungs to inhale and exhale through regulated changes in air pressure. It was invented in 1928 by American industrial hygienist Philip Drinker. Though Drinker devised the iron lung to help victims of coal gas poisoning, it became a preferred treatment for polio, which tends to paralyze the respiratory muscles. What methods have largely replaced the iron lung? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Honda Point Disaster (1923)The Honda Point Disaster was the largest peacetime loss of US Navy ships. On the evening of September 8, 1923, 14 destroyers were engaging in simulated combat maneuvers a few miles from the northern side of the Santa Barbara Channel off the California coast. Upon reaching Honda Point, seven destroyers ran aground and were wrecked; two others suffered minor damage. In all, twenty-three sailors lost their lives. What is the "Devil's Jaw," and how did it factor into the incident? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Peter Sellers (1925)Sellers was a British actor who earned international stardom playing a wide range of characters at a time when rigid typecasting was the norm. The son of vaudeville performers, he began appearing with his parents as a boy. He started making films in the 1950s and later gained enormous popularity as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther series. In Dr. Strangelove, he plays three characters, including the titular role. What fourth character was he initially supposed to play? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 She was a woman who, between courses, could be graceful with her elbows on the table.Henry James (1843-1916) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
have a hankering for (something)— To have a very strong, persistent desire or craving for something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Andorra National Day (2023)The Principality of Andorra, located in the Pyrénées Mountains between France and Spain, was founded by the Emperor Charlemagne. The people of Andorra celebrate their National Day by honoring Jungfrau von Meritxell, their patron saint. Pilgrims climb to her hilltop sanctuary near the villages of Encamp and Canillo, where her statue was found by a shepherd under an almond tree blooming out of season. The pilgrims stop to refresh themselves with drinks that have been cooled in the nearby springs, and after the sermon they celebrate by dancing and eating lamb grilled on slabs of slate. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: monkeysmacaque - Based on Bantu kaku, "monkey," and ma, denoting a plural, translating to "some monkeys." More... monkey business - A transfer of the tricks of monkeys to human behavior. More... barrel of monkeys - Monkeys are usually a source of merriment, so if one had a barrelful of them, one supposes this to be quite hilarious; a group of monkeys is actually called a troop. More... see monkeys - To be overcome by the heat while working. More... | |