Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, October 26, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
nipper
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
ParenthesesParentheses are used to separate information that is not necessary to the structure or meaning of the surrounding text. When can parentheses be replaced by em dashes? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 GerrymanderingGerrymandering is the political practice of drawing electoral district lines in a way that gives an unfair advantage to a particular political party. Numerous countries have enacted reforms against gerrymandering, but in the US such reforms have met with opposition from groups that benefit from the practice. The term "gerrymander" was inspired by an 1812 Massachusetts redistricting scheme that favored the party of Governor Elbridge Gerry. Where did the "mander" part of the word come from? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 USA PATRIOT Act Signed into Law (2001)Enacted quickly and with little opposition in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the sweeping USA PATRIOT Act dramatically enhanced the powers of law enforcement and intelligence-gathering agencies within the US. The bill has since come under increasing scrutiny and criticism, and aspects of it have faced legal challenges in the courts. After it was renewed in 2006, most of its sections became permanent. What section of the act has riled librarians in particular? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Charles William Post (1854)Post was an American breakfast cereal manufacturer. In the 1880s, while being treated by John H. Kellogg at a health sanitarium, he developed an interest in producing healthful foods like those served by Kellogg. In 1891, he established La Vita Inn, an institute for healing by mental suggestion. After experimenting with breakfast foods, he invented Postum, a coffee substitute after which he named his company, Postum Cereal Co., the precursor to General Foods Corp. What cereals did Post invent? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 It is well known to all experienced minds that our firmest convictions are often dependent on subtle impressions for which words are quite too coarse a medium.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
get this show on the road— To promptly begin or get something started. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
Angam Day (2023)Nauru is an island in the Pacific, about 2,200 miles northeast of Sydney, Australia, and 2,400 miles southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. Over the past 100 years, the existence of Nauruans has been threatened a number of times—by tribal disputes in the 1870s and by an influenza epidemic in 1919. During World War II, two-thirds of the population were deported by the Japanese to the Caroline Islands to build airstrips. Angam ("hope") Day on October 26 commemorates the various occasions when the Nauruan population has reached 1,500, considered the minimum number necessary for survival. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: leadercoryphaeus - A Greek word meaning "chief," for the leader of a party, sect, school of thought, etc. More... herald - Etymologically, a "leader of an army," from Germanic kharjaz, "army." More... hegemon - A Greek word for "leader." More... nestorian, nestor - Nestorian means wise and aged, and a nestor is a senior figure or leader in one's field. More... | |