Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, August 16, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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venerate
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Quotation Marks and TitlesWe use italics or occasionally underlining to indicate the title of a complete body of creative work (such as a novel, music album, play, or film). In what instances do we use quotation marks to indicate a title? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Sword SwallowingDating to ancient times, sword swallowing is a performance art in which an entertainer passes a sword through the mouth and down the esophagus to the stomach. It is not an illusion. Because real swords are used, it is a dangerous practice that can take years of mental and physical training to safely master. Sword swallowers can suffer potentially fatal injuries, such as perforated organs, while performing. How have their unique abilities made them historically useful in medical research? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Issue of Sports Illustrated Is Published (1954)The first issue of Sports Illustrated—featuring Milwaukee Braves star Eddie Mathews at bat—was published in 1954. The brainchild of Henry Luce, the founder of Time magazine, it became one of the most influential sports magazines in America. Though Sports Illustrated originally covered a wide range of sports, including hunting and yachting, today it focuses on major sports, such as football and baseball. When was the annual swimsuit issue first published? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888)Lawrence was a British adventurer, soldier, and scholar popularly known as Lawrence of Arabia. He learned Arabic while on an archaeological expedition in Mesopotamia, then served in intelligence for the British army in Egypt during WWI. After conceiving a plan to support an Arab rebellion against the Ottoman Empire—a German ally—he joined the Arab forces and became a leader in the revolt, but he failed to achieve the formation of an independent Arab state. What did he later do under false names? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Let us speak, though we show all our faults and weaknesses,—for it is a sign of strength to be weak, to know it, and out with it.Herman Melville (1819-1891) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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carry (someone) off their feet— To completely overwhelm someone with enthusiasm, ardor, or passion. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Daimonji Okuribi (2023)In Japan, the belief that the souls of the dead return to earth during the Obon Festival gave rise to the custom of lighting great bonfires to guide the souls back to heaven after their yearly visit. This custom is known as Daimonji Okuribi, the Great Bonfire Event. In the city of Kyoto, an enormous flammable structure, built in the shape of the Chinese character dai, meaning "big," is set on fire on the hill in back of the Zenrinji Temple. The character is 530 feet tall and 510 feet wide, providing a spectacular display for city residents. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: mineraldiamond - Developed from adamant—the name of the hardest stone or mineral of ancient times—from Latin adamans, from Greek adamas, "invincible" (a-, "not," and daman, "to tame"). More... Formica - Got its name from being created as a substitute "for mica," a mineral. More... mineral - Etymologically "something obtained by mining," from Latin minera, "ore." More... snow - Technically a mineral, it is Teutonic in origin, from an Indo-European root shared by the Latin words niv-/nix and Greek nipha; the spelling snow first appeared in English around 1200. More... | |