Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, August 15, 2023)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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discalced
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Auxiliary Verbs - WouldThe modal auxiliary verb "would" has a variety of functions and uses, including replacing "will" for things that happened or began in the past, or describing hypothetical situations. What type of mood is used to express hypotheticals and desires? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Highland GamesThe modern Highland Games began in the 1780s as an organized effort to revive Scottish Highland traditions. These celebrations of Scottish and Celtic heritage center around competitions in piping, drumming, dancing, and Scottish heavy athletics. The caber toss, in which a competitor balances a long, heavy wooden pole vertically and then tosses it, has become a recognized symbol of the Highland Games. What other feats of strength are often included in the Games' athletic competitions? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Tivoli Gardens Opens in Copenhagen (1843)One of the oldest amusement parks still in operation, Denmark's Tivoli Gardens opened in 1843 with a variety of attractions, including a theatre, bandstands, amusement rides, and, of course, flower gardens. Tivoli is said to have inspired Walt Disney's plans for his own park. Today, the park is best known for its wooden roller coaster, built in 1914. What did Tivoli founder Georg Carstensen reportedly tell King Christian VIII about the park to obtain a five-year charter for the site? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Blind Jack Metcalf (1717)John Metcalf, popularly known as Blind Jack, was a civil engineer and the first professional road builder of the Industrial Revolution. He lost his sight to a smallpox infection at age six and earned a living in early adulthood as a fiddle player. Though he was unable to see, he swam, played cards, rode horses, and even hunted. In 1765, Parliament passed an act authorizing turnpike building, and he won a contract to build a new road. How many miles of roadway is Metcalf said to have built? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A cynic can chill and dishearten with a single word.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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make capital out of (something)— To use something to one's advantage or profit. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Assumption of Our Lady (Santa Marija) (2023)On this day, Malta celebrates the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, a national holiday that commemorates the success of Operation Pedestal. Many believe that it was through the intervention of Our Lady that Operation Pedestal was able to succeed. Church services across the country start with a prayer of thanksgiving, and the names of the five surviving merchant ships are read. The holiday is celebrated festa style—with fireworks, decorated streets, and carts throughout the villages selling many different foods, including traditional sweets and delicacies. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: simpletondodo - Comes from Portuguese doudo, "fool, simpleton," from the bird's awkward appearance. More... doodle - Originally a noun meaning "fool, simpleton," from German dudeltopf, it came to mean absent-minded scribbling. More... gullible - A derivative of archaic gull, "dupe" or "simpleton." More... half-wit - Originally was "a would-be wit whose abilities are mediocre"; the sense of "simpleton" (one lacking all his wits) is attested to 1755. More... | |