Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, August 25, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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flunky
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Degrees of Comparison - AdverbsJust like adjectives, adverbs have comparative and superlative degrees; adverbs in their basic forms are sometimes known as being in the positive degree. What do superlative adverbs identify? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Hoover DamLocated on the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona, the Hoover Dam is 726 feet (221 m) high and 1,244 feet (379 m) long. It was built between 1931 and 1936 by the US Bureau of Reclamation and was named for President Herbert Hoover in 1947. In addition to supplying a great deal of hydroelectric power, the dam provides for flood control, river regulation, and improved navigation. In 1985, it was designated a National Historic Landmark. What was the dam called before it was named for Hoover? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 New York Sun Publishes "The Great Moon Hoax" (1835)"The Great Moon Hoax" was a series of six New York Sun articles discussing the supposed discovery of life on the Moon. The discovery—allegedly made using a massive telescope—was falsely attributed to famed astronomer Sir John Herschel. In the articles, the author claims that unicorns, bipedal beavers, bat-like humanoids, and other fantastic animals inhabit a forest- and ocean-covered Moon. The series was likely intended to boost the paper's sales and ridicule what contemporary theories? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Allan Pinkerton (1819)Pinkerton, an American detective and spy, founded the first private detective agency in the US—the Pinkerton Detective Agency—in 1850. The agency, which specialized in railroad theft cases, soon became famous, and Pinkerton opened branches in several cities. In 1860, he discovered and thwarted a plot to assassinate newly elected President Abraham Lincoln while en route to his inauguration. He went on to serve as a spy during the Civil War and head up what would become what government agency? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage.Jane Austen (1775-1817) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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harp on the same string— To dwell tediously and repeatedly upon a single subject or topic, especially in complaint. Likened to playing the same note over and over again on a harp. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Uruguay Independence Day (2023)This national holiday commemorates the declaration of independence of Uruguay from Portuguese rule on this day in 1825. By 1828, Uruguay was officially autonomous. Patriotic ceremonies are held in the capital city of Montevideo, with speeches and the singing of the national anthem. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: tombepitaph - From Greek epi, "upon, over," and taphos, "tomb" or "funeral." More... lair - First meant "grave, tomb," or "place where one sleeps." More... pall, pallbearer - Pallbearer is based on pall, which was first a cloth spread over a coffin, hearse, or tomb. More... cromlech - Is Welsh for "arched stone" and means "any megalithic chamber tomb." More... | |