Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, May 25, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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savoir-faire
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining PhrasesPhrases are groups of two or more words that work together to perform a single grammatical function in a sentence. How do phrases differ from clauses? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Project HabakkukIt seems like pure folly to build a ship—let alone a giant aircraft carrier—out of ice, but during World War II, that is exactly what inventor Geoffrey Pyke proposed the Allies do. While plain ice—the kind put in drinks—is not strong or durable enough for such a task, Pyke believed a composite material made of wood pulp and ice would be. For much of 1943, a multinational team based in Canada toiled to realize a ship made of pykrete—a portmanteau of Pyke and concrete. Did the project succeed? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Six-Year-Old Etan Patz Abducted in New York (1979)In 1979, Etan Patz left his apartment by himself, for the very first time, to walk the two blocks to his school bus stop. He never made it there. His disappearance was widely covered by the media and led to the implementation of new methods for tracking down missing children, such as the milk carton campaigns of the 1980s. In 2010, the Manhattan district attorney announced that he had reopened the case into Patz's disappearance. Who was found liable for Patz's death in a civil case in 2004? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Bill "Bojangles" Robinson (1878)Robinson was an influential virtuoso tap dancer. An innovator, he was reputedly the first to dance on the balls of his feet instead of in the earlier flat-footed style. He began dancing professionally at the age of eight and became a popular nightclub and vaudeville performer. He first performed on Broadway in 1928 and was the first African American to star in a Ziegfield Follies. He appeared in 14 Hollywood features in the 1930s and 40s, including four that he made with which child actress? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Younger brothers are commonly fortunate, but seldom or never where the elder are disinherited.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be in for a surprise— To be guaranteed to receive or experience an unexpected outcome, especially a negative one. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Jordan Independence Day (2024)A treaty signed on this day in 1946 established the constitutional monarchy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and secured the nation's independence from Great Britain. Parades through the capital city of Amman mark the celebrations of this national holiday. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: locationCook's tour - A very fast tour of a location, from Thomas Cook, the famous travel agent. More... stamping ground, stomping ground - Stamping ground or stomping ground originally referred to a location frequented by animals. More... map reference - The numbers and letters you use to find a location on a map. More... urheimat - The location where a people or language originated. More... | |