Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, August 24, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
cacophonous
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Modal Auxiliary Verbs - MightThe modal verb "might" is most often used to express an unlikely or uncertain possibility. How is "might" used in reported speech? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Czech HedgehogsEarly in World War II, Germany relied heavily on the great striking power of its fast-moving tank formations. To defend against the threat, the Czechs lined their borders with large iron obstacles shaped like toy jacks. Though not immovable, they cause tanks to get stuck after driving over them. While the Nazis went on to annex Czech territory in the Sudetenland, these obstacles, known as "Czech hedgehogs," caught on with other combatants and were later employed in what famous battle? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 British Troops Burn the White House (1814)During the War of 1812, a year after US troops burned Canadian Parliament Buildings in the Battle of York, British troops retaliated by marching on Washington, DC, and setting fire to its public buildings—including the Capitol and the White House. According to some accounts, First Lady Dolley Madison refused to leave the White House until just moments before British troops arrived, gathering valuables, documents, and other items of importance, including what notable painting? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Jorge Luis Borges (1899)Borges was an Argentine poet, essayist, and short-story writer. Much of his work is rich in fantasy and metaphorical allegory, including the story collection Ficciones, which won him an international following. In the 1920s, Borges was afflicted by a worsening hereditary blindness and was totally blind by the mid-1950s. Forced to abandon the writing of long texts, he began dictating his works. What literary movement is Borges credited with establishing in South America? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Life altogether is but a crumbling ruin when we turn to look behind.Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
find (something) out the hard way— To learn or discover something through personal experience, especially that which is difficult, painful, or unpleasant. Can also be phrased as "find out about something the hard way." More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 St. Bartholomew's Day (2023)St. Bartholomew is the patron saint of beekeepers and honey-makers, and for this reason it was traditional in England for the honey crop to be gathered on August 24. Since the main ingredient in mead—an ancient alcoholic drink that is still made in some parts of England today—is honey, the Blessing of the Mead is also observed on St. Bartholomew's Day. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: tortoiseshellpad - Another name for a tortoise. More... testudinate - Means "slow-moving; like a turtle," from Latin testudo, "tortoise," and also describes something curved or vaulted like a turtle shell. More... Galapagos Islands - Named for the massive tortoises living there, from Old Spanish galapago, "tortoise." More... turtle, tortoise, terrapin - Turtle is applied to those living in water and tortoise to those that live on land, while terrapins live in fresh water; turtle and tortoise may come from the Latin root tort, with reference to the animals' twisted feet. More... | |