Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, July 13, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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adulterate
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Distributive DeterminersDistributive determiners, also known as "distributive adjectives," are used to refer to individual members within a group or within a pair. The distributive determiners are "each," "every," "either," and "neither." What are they are used to modify? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Cyanide PoisoningThere are numerous cyanide compounds, and, whether inhaled or ingested, most are deadly. Some occur naturally in almonds and in fruit seeds and pits. Cyanide deprives body tissues of oxygen, and symptoms of poisoning include bitter almond-scented breath, dizziness, convulsions, and collapse. Though antidotes exist, cyanide can kill within minutes, making it a historically notable murder weapon. What might explain why Rasputin survived after eating cyanide-laced cakes and wine? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Live Aid (1985)Live Aid was a multi-venue rock concert held simultaneously in London and Philadelphia that raised about $280 million for famine relief in Africa. The event was organized by musician Bob Geldof, who founded the supergroup Band Aid in 1984 to raise money for the same cause. About 170,000 attended the Live Aid shows, and more than 1.5 billion viewers around the world watched them on TV. Performers included David Bowie, Paul McCartney, and Queen, as well as what groups that reunited for the event? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Alberto Ascari (1918)Alberto Ascari was just 7 years old when his racecar driver father was killed in the 1925 French Grand Prix, but that did not deter him from following in his father's footsteps. He went on to become a successful driver and remains one of only two Italian Formula One World Champions in the history of the sport. In 1955, he was thrown from his car during a crash and killed. Both he and his father were 36 when they died. What other eerie similarities exist between his death and that of his father? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 To be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable.John Milton (1608-1674) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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happy as a lark— Very happy; contented. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Night Watch (2023)La Retraite aux Flambeaux, or the Night Watch, is a half-holiday in France that is celebrated on the eve of Bastille Day. The lights in Paris are darkened in remembrance of the day in 1789 when the Bastille fell. Colorful processions of soldiers, patriotic bands, and people bearing torches and Chinese lanterns march through the streets, followed by crowds of spectators. The procession usually ends at the home of a prominent citizen, who offers the torch- and lantern-bearers something to drink. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: witchtroll - Originally a witch or sorceress. More... fly-by-night - Said to be an old term of reproach to a woman signifying that she was a witch, and was extended to "anyone who departs hastily from a recent activity," especially while owing money. More... hag - First meant "witch." More... witch - In Old English, it was actually wicca and originally (c. 890) was a man who practiced magic or sorcery, who we now call a wizard; by the year 1000, witch came to be defined as "a female magician or sorceress." More... | |