Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, February 1, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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self-worth
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining the Middle VoiceThe so-called middle voice is an approximate type of grammatical voice in which the subject both performs and receives the action expressed by the verb. In other words, the subject acts as both the agent and the receiver (i.e., the direct object) of the action. Why is the middle voice described as a combination of the active and passive voices? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 MasksMasks have been worn since the Stone Age, chiefly to impersonate supernatural beings or animals in ceremonies but also for theatrical and practical purposes. In ancient Egypt, Asia, and the Inca civilization, death masks were used to facilitate the spirit's journey in the afterlife. In ancient Greece, masks were used in the theater to represent specific characters, portray emotion, and amplify the speaker’s voice. Why did some doctors in the Middle Ages wear beaked masks? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Janet Jackson's Wardrobe Malfunctions (2004)Nearly 90 million people watched Super Bowl XXXVIII, and approximately 540,000 of them filed complaints with the Federal Communications Commission after Justin Timberlake exposed fellow singer Janet Jackson's breast during the game's halftime show. The incident led to legal action, heavy fines, and a crackdown on aspects of US broadcasting considered indecent. Shortly after the "wardrobe malfunction," a streaker darted onto the field in an unrelated stunt. What happened to him? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 William Clark Gable (1901)Despite having such large ears that some doubted he could become a romantic lead, Gable had a rugged masculinity and lighthearted charm that proved popular with audiences. The actor debuted on Broadway in 1928 and went to Hollywood in 1930. There he starred in Mutiny on the Bounty, Gone with the Wind, and It Happened One Night, for which he won an Academy Award. What tragedy prompted him to give up show business and become a bomber pilot during World War II? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 All things are admired either because they are new or because they are great.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have a lump in (one's) throat— To have difficulty speaking as a result of feeling that one is about to cry due to an intense emotional response to something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 National Freedom Day (2025)National Freedom Day commemorates the abolition of slavery in the United States. On that date in 1865, President Abraham Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, making slavery illegal. The purpose of the day is to celebrate the freedom from slavery for all people and to acknowledge the importance of freedom and harmony in American society. Freedom Day is not a federal holiday, and a strong drive is underway to adopt June 19, or Juneteenth, as it is known, as the American holiday to celebrate the end of slavery. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: sacrificeoffer - Originally meant "to present or sacrifice something to a religious entity." More... sacrifice - From Latin sacrificium, related to sacrificus, "sacrificial," from sacer, "holy, sacred." More... oblation - Something offered to God or a god, like a sacrifice or donation, can be called an oblation. More... victim - Originally denoted a person or animal killed as a sacrifice. More... | |