Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, May 18, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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spurious
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Adverbs and Degrees of StrengthAdverbs of degree can be mild, medium, strong, or absolute in how they describe the intensity, degree, or extent of the word they modify. Adverbs that are mild, medium, or strong are known as what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 SiriusSirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Located in the constellation Canis Major, it is one of the stars nearest to Earth. Because Sirius appears to follow at the heels of Orion the hunter, it is often called the "Dog Star." Many cultures have attached special significance to Sirius. Ancient Egyptians equated it with the goddess Sopdet, while the ancient Romans associated its rising at dawn with the hottest part of the year—the "dog days." What controversies has Sirius inspired? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Mount Saint Helens Erupts (1980)Beginning in mid-March 1980, a series of earth tremors and steam explosions at Washington's Mount Saint Helens suggested that the volcano—dormant since 1857—was on the verge of erupting. Then, on May 18, the entire north side of the mountain exploded in a cloud of ash, rock, and fiery gases that collapsed a good part of it and carried debris for many miles. About 60 people were killed, and millions of tons of ash blanketed much of the American northwest. How far did the ash eventually spread? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Walter Adolph Gropius (1883)Gropius was the immensely influential director of the Bauhaus school of art and architecture in Germany. In 1937, he immigrated to America and became head of Harvard's architecture department. He was an early exponent of the International style and believed that all design—whether of a chair, a building, or a city—should focus on the particular needs and problems involved, without regard to old styles. His 1923 re-design of what everyday object is now considered an icon of 20th-century design? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Abstain and enjoy.Aesop (620 BC-560 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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on the upswing— Showing or experiencing a noticeable or conspicuous increase, improvement, or expansion. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Haiti Flag and University Day (2023)National unity is a primary theme of Flag and University Day in Haiti, an independence celebration and an occasion to recognize the country's educational system. Flag Day became an annual celebration shortly after Catherine Flon sewed the first red and blue flag in 1803, a year before Haiti won its independence from France. The government incorporated University Day as part of the celebration in 1919. Haitians wave flags throughout the day's parades and fairs, which take place throughout Haiti as well as in New York and Miami, two cities with large Haitian communities. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: meltingfondue - Comes from French fondre, "to melt." More... relent, resolve - Relent and resolve originally meant "melt, dissolve" in literal (under the influence of heat) and figurative senses. More... eliquate - To melt or liquefy. More... clarify - To make clear by removing impurities or solid matter, as by heating gently; to purify butter by melting. More... | |