Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, November 24, 2023)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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burgher
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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BracketsBrackets ( [ ] ), sometimes known as square brackets, are usually used within quoted speech to indicate that a writer has added material to the quotation. What are the different types of brackets? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 What is Light?Light is any wavelength of electromagnetic radiation, though the word is commonly used to refer to the visible light spectrum. The human eye typically perceives electromagnetic wavelengths between 400 and 700 nanometers, interpreting them as a range of colors from red to violet. Light is understood to exhibit both particle and wave properties, and the fundamental particle, or quantum, of light is called the photon. What is the scientific study of light called? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Jeremiah Horrocks Makes First Observation of Transit of Venus (1639)A transit of Venus occurs when the planet passes between the Sun and Earth, obscuring a small portion of the Sun's disk. In 1639, English astronomer Jeremiah Horrocks made the first observation of such a transit by using a telescope to focus the Sun's image onto a white screen and watching as Venus's shadow, appearing as a small black disk, passed across it. These observations allowed him to estimate the distance from Earth to the Sun more accurately than ever before. How close was his estimate? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Benedict de Spinoza (1632)Spinoza was a Dutch Jewish philosopher whose early interest in new scientific and philosophical ideas led to his expulsion from the synagogue in 1656. His philosophy represents a development of and reaction to the thought of René Descartes, and many of his most striking doctrines are solutions to difficulties created by Cartesianism. In his masterpiece, Ethics, he constructed a monistic system of metaphysics modeled on Euclid's Elements. How did Spinoza earn a living? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Tolerance is a very dull virtue. It is boring. Unlike love, it has always had a bad press. It is negative. It merely means putting up with people, being able to stand things.E. M. Forster (1879-1970) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have (one's) feet on the ground— To be and remain in a calm, stable, sensible, and pragmatic state or condition; to not be subject to extreme emotional reactions or affected by exceptional changes in one's situation. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Jizo Ennichi (2023)Tradition calls for Japanese Buddhists to honor Kshitigarba Jizo on the 24th day of each month with a ritual known as Jizo Ennichi. Kshitigarba Jizo is a Bodhisattva, or "Buddha-to-be." Among Japanese Buddhists, he is known for helping children, women in labor, and the wicked. He is also believed to participate in ushering in the souls of the faithful when they die. His statue is most often found outside temples, where he can guide both the dead and the living. Shrines in his honor are set up along roadsides, since he protects travelers as well. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: platformlectern, podium, dais, rostrum - A lectern is the stand on which the speaker's notes are placed, the podium is the platform on which the speaker and lectern stand, a dais is a platform for several people, and a rostrum is a platform for one or more. More... pulpit - From classical Latin pulpitum, "platform, stage." More... hustings - Its early meaning of "platform" led to its sense of "any place from which campaign speeches are made" and "political campaigning." More... rostrum - Latin for "beak," it first referred to part of the Rome Forum decorated with bird beaks and used as a platform for speakers. More... | |