Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, April 26, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
levelheaded
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Defining the Past Perfect Continuous TenseThe past perfect continuous tense (also called the "past perfect progressive tense") is used to describe an action that began and was still in progress in the past before another past action started. What do we usually use the present perfect continuous tense to emphasize? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 SimoomIn his Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, James Joyce describes the protagonist's heart as having "withered up like a flower of the desert that feels the simoom coming from afar." A simoom is a strong, dry, dust-laden wind that blows in the deserts of Arabia and North Africa. True to Joyce's simile, a simoom is the epitome of hot and dry—its temperature may exceed 130°F (54°C), and its humidity level may fall below 10 percent. "Simoom" comes from an Arabic word meaning what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Nuclear Reactor at Chernobyl Plant Explodes (1986)The accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is regarded as the worst nuclear accident in history. Radioactive debris from the disaster drifted across parts of the western Soviet Union and Europe. Large areas of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia were badly contaminated, resulting in the resettlement of hundreds of thousands of people and a disputed number of deaths. The incident set off an international outcry over the dangers posed by radioactive emissions. What caused the accident? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 John James Audubon (1785)Audubon was a US ornithologist and artist known for his drawings and paintings of North American birds. After failing in business, he concentrated on compiling his extraordinary four-volume Birds of America, published between 1827 and 1838. Though his bird poses are sometimes unrealistic—the result of painting dead birds wired into position—and some details are inaccurate, his studies were fundamental to New World ornithology. How many bird species are featured in Birds of America? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Time has laid his healing hand upon the wound when we can look back upon the pain we once fainted under and no bitterness or despair rises in our hearts.Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
inch-perfect— Extremely accurate; very well placed or perfectly judged. (Used especially of maneuvers, moves, or shots in sport.) Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
John Audubon Day (2024)John James Audubon (1785-1851) was America's foremost ornithological illustrator. After his death in 1851, Audubon's wife Lucy returned to teaching to support herself. One of her students, George Bird Grinnell, in 1886 organized the Audubon Society for the study and protection of birds. Today there are many branches of this organization, known as the National Audubon Society, and its members honor Audubon on his birthday, April 26. In some states, Audubon Day and Arbor Day are celebrated together by planting trees in bird sanctuaries. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: productivecost-effective - Anything effective and productive in relation to its cost. More... fecund, fecundation - Fecund is another word for "fertile, fruitful, productive"; fecundation is another word for "fertilization, impregnation." More... originary - An adjective meaning "causing existence; productive," or "primitive; primary; original." More... | |