Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, February 25, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Defining Reflexive VerbsReflexive verbs are verbs whose subjects are also their direct objects—that is, the action of the verb is both committed and received by the same person or thing. Reflexive verbs are sometimes identified as being in the "middle voice." What does that mean? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Samuel Colt Issued Patent for His Revolving Gun (1836)Colt did not invent the revolver, but his design was the first practical, working version of one, and he developed assembly-line techniques that drove down manufacturing costs. Even so, securing funding for his novel production system proved difficult, and his fledgling company struggled and eventually folded. He then turned to work on underwater mines and telegraph lines. In 1847, Colt reestablished his gun manufacturing business after what famous lawman placed an order for 1,000 revolvers? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Robert Larimore "Bobby" Riggs (1918)Riggs began playing tennis at the age of 11, won Wimbledon when he was 21, and became one of the top-rated male tennis players of the 1940s. He retired in the early 1950s and was largely forgotten until 1973, when he proclaimed men superior to women in athletics and came out of retirement to challenge two of the top female tennis players in the world. After beating Margaret Court, he played Billie Jean King in one of the most famous tennis events of all time, "The Battle of the Sexes." Who won? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
make (oneself or something) ready (for someone or something)— To become or make something prepared for something or someone. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 American Birkebeiner (2017)The "Birkie" started in 1973 as a cross-country ski race from Hayward, Wisconsin, to the neighboring town of Cable, with only 35 skiers competing. Now it is the largest and most prestigious cross-country ski race in North America and attracts top skiers from all over the world. Other races held during the three-day festival include the Barnebirkie (for children) and the 10K Family Fun Ski. The American Birkebeiner is part of the Worldloppet, an international series of marathon races, and was patterned after the Birkebeiner Rennet in Lillehammer, Norway. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: linensash - From Arabic shash, first a roll of silk, linen, or gauze worn about the head, a turban. More... lingerie - Entered English meaning "linen articles collectively," from French linge, "linen." More... linsey-woolsey - First a cloth woven from linen and wool, the phrase was altered for the sake of a jingling sound. More... taffeta - Goes back to Persian taftah, "silken cloth, linen clothing." More... | |