Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, September 29, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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ObjectsGrammatical objects are nouns or pronouns that complete the meaning of verbs and prepositions. What is an indirect object? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Pollywogs and ShellbacksOriginally created as a test to ensure new sailors were capable of handling long, rough stretches at sea, the "Crossing the Line" ceremony is an initiation rite used by many navies to commemorate a sailor's first crossing of the equator. Sailors who have already crossed the equator are nicknamed Shellbacks; those who have not are called Pollywogs. Many navies now have regulations to prevent hazing during the tradition, which often involves various physical tests. What is a Golden Shellback? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II Is Excommunicated (1227)Prior to being excommunicated the first of several times, Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II had planned to go on a crusade. However, an epidemic waylaid him and a large part of his army, delaying the conquest. As a result, he was excommunicated by Pope Gregory IX. He eventually went on the postponed crusade and became king of Jerusalem. With Italy as the center of his power, Frederick, a religious skeptic, was in frequent conflict with the papacy. Frederick wrote the first book on what subject? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Enrico Fermi (1901)Italian-American physicist Enrico Fermi is known today as the "father of the atomic bomb." Fermi conducted early experiments with neutrons and was awarded the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physics. After receiving the award in Stockholm, Fermi and his family chose not return to Fascist Italy and instead settled in the US. There, he created the first self-sustaining chain reaction in 1942 and later worked on the atomic bomb. What so-called paradox named for Fermi involves extraterrestrial intelligent life? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I can resist everything except temptation.Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have (one's) druthers— To have one's choice or preference; to have things the way one would like them to be; to have one's way. Usually formulated as "if I had my druthers." Primarily heard in US. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Michaelmas (2023)The Feast of the Archangel Michael, or the Day of St. Michael and All Angels, is a traditional feast day in the Roman Catholic, Anglican Communion, and Orthodox churches. Churches dedicated to Michael can be found in Asia and throughout coastal Europe, usually in places where Michael is reputed to have saved the community from the threat of a monster or giant. The ninth-century abbey Mont St.-Michel, off the coast of Normandy, France, once held the shield said to have been worn by Michael in his fight against the dragon. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: silent | |