Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, January 12, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
rive
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Correlative ConjunctionsCorrelative conjunctions, or paired conjunctions, are sets of conjunctions that are always used together. Like coordinating conjunctions, they join words, phrases, or independent clauses of similar or equal importance and structure. How do they differ from coordinating conjunctions? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 The History of FirefightingThe practice of firefighting has come a long way since the Roman Empire, when fire patrols relied on bucket brigades and pumps to extinguish blazes. The first fire engines arrived in Europe in the 17th century. Around this time, insurance companies—motivated by the Great Fire of London—formed private fire brigades, but they protected only the buildings they insured. In the early 18th century, France established the first modern brigades as a fee-based service. Why was the fee soon eliminated? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Maiden Voyage of RMS Queen Mary 2 (2004)The RMS Queen Mary 2 (QM2) is a Cunard Line ocean liner named after the earlier Cunard liner Queen Mary, which was, in turn, named after Mary of Teck, the Queen Consort of George V. With 15 restaurants and bars, 5 pools, a casino, a ballroom, a theater, and a planetarium, the QM2 was the largest ocean liner in the world at the time of its construction, as well as the longest, widest, and tallest passenger ship. What ship challenged that distinction in 2006? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Hermann Göring (1893)Göring was one of Hitler's most loyal supporters and held numerous Nazi posts, including interior minister of Prussia, where he established the Gestapo, and head of the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force. When the Luftwaffe failed to win the Battle of Britain, Göring semiretired to his country estate, where he displayed the vast art collection he had confiscated from Jews in occupied countries. In 1946, he was condemned to death by hanging at the Nuremberg trials but was never executed. Why? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Thank goodness, we can choose our friends. We have to take our relatives as they are.Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
how's life (treating you)?— How are you? How is everything in your life? (Said as an informal greeting.) More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Zanzibar Revolution Day (2024)In December 1963, the African island of Zanzibar won independence from England. On January 12, 1964, a revolution led by John Okello of the Afro-Shirazi Party overthrew the sultan who ruled Zanzibar. Abeid Karume was named president and the country's name changed to the People's Republic of Zanzibar (now a semiautonomous part of Tanzania since merging with neighboring Tanganyika). Zanzibar Revolution Day commemorates the revolt that installed Karume as president. Celebrations are held at the Amaan Stadium, and a wreath is officially placed at the gravesite of Abeid Karume. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: operaopera - Actually the Latin plural of opus, "labor, work." More... prima donna - Meaning "principal female singer in an opera," it is from the same Italian phrase meaning "first lady"; the meaning "temperamental person" was first recorded in 1834. More... primo vomo - The principal male singer in an opera. More... soap opera - Goes back (1939) to the early days of radio suspense serials, which were mainly sponsored by soap-makers; the "opera" part is an echo of the earlier "horse opera"—a Western (1927). More... | |