Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, June 5, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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hookah
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Grammar with Countable NounsWhen we use countable nouns, certain elements in a sentence will change depending on whether the noun is singular or plural. When a noun is singular and names a person (or, sometimes, a pet) whose gender is known, then we use which third-person singular pronouns? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 LaharsA lahar is a destructive mudflow that travels down the slopes of a volcano when water, often from a heavy rainfall, lake breakout, or water body or glacier displaced or melted by an eruption, mixes with rocky debris and volcanic ash. Lahars can travel up to 60 mph (100 km/h) and are similar to concrete in consistency. In 1985, lahars created by the eruption of Colombia’s Nevado del Ruiz buried 22,000 people in 26 ft (8 m) of mud. What places are considered to be particularly at risk for lahars? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Six-Day War Begins (1967)After a period of relative calm, border incidents between Israel and Syria, Egypt, and Jordan increased during the early 1960s. Palestinian guerrilla attacks on Israel from bases in Syria led to increased hostility between the two countries. After Egypt signed a defense treaty with Jordan, Israel launched a preemptive air strike against the three Arab states, capturing the Sinai Peninsula, Gaza Strip, West Bank, Old City of Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights. How many were killed in the fighting? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ruth Fulton Benedict (1887)Benedict was an American anthropologist whose theories have had a profound influence on cultural anthropology. Her landmark text Patterns of Culture was published in 1934, at a time when her field was dominated by men. In it, she promotes cultural relativism—the assessment of cultural practices within their own cultural context. From a young age, she was fascinated with death and was drawn to studying how other cultures treat death. Whose "cult of grief" did Benedict despise? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 History fades into fable; fact becomes clouded with doubt and controversy; the inscription molders from the tablet; the statue falls from the pedestal. Columns, arches, pyramids, what are they but heaps of sand—and their epitaphs, but characters written in the dust?Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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go out with the girls— To go and socialize somewhere with a group of exclusively female friends. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 World Environment Day (2023)The United Nations General Assembly designated June 5 as World Environment Day in 1972. The date was chosen because it marked the opening day of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, which led to the establishment of the United Nations Environment Programme. The General Assembly urges countries and organizations to mark this day with activities that educate people about threats to the environment and encourage them to strike a balance between development and concern for Earth's future. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: stealembezzle - Originally, it simply meant "steal." More... purloin - Meaning to steal, it is from Latin pur/pro, "forth," and loign, "far." More... scrounge - First meant to live off or sponge off someone else; it is a variant of scrunge, "steal." More... snoop - From Dutch snoepen, "eat on the sly," it first meant "steal and eat in a clandestine manner." More... | |