Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, August 26, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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tenuity
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Conjunctive Adverbs in the Middle of the Second ClauseConjunctive adverbs must appear in the second of the two clauses that are connected. While they often appear at the beginning of the second clause, they can actually be moved around within it. If we place the conjunctive adverb in the middle of the second clause, what should it come after? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Cool Biz CampaignIn 2005, the Japanese Ministry of the Environment launched the Cool Biz campaign, a program intended to reduce electricity consumption by limiting air conditioner use. Government offices were asked to set their air conditioners to 82°F (28°C), and workers were advised to wear short-sleeved shirts to keep cool. According to estimates, the campaign resulted in a 460,000-ton reduction in carbon dioxide emissions—the equivalent of shutting down some 1 million households for what period of time? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Bomb Delivered to Harvey's Resort Hotel (1980)After losing a substantial amount of money gambling at Harvey's Resort Hotel in Stateline, Nevada, John Birges devised a plan to recoup his losses. On August 26, 1980, he planted a bomb containing nearly 1,000 pounds (453 kg) of dynamite at the casino. His attempt to extort millions of dollars failed, but so did efforts to disarm his sophisticated, tamper-proof bomb. The resulting explosion destroyed much of the casino on August 27. No one was injured. How did experts try to disarm the bomb? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, AKA Mother Teresa (1910)In 1927, 17-year-old Agnes Bojaxhiu left her native Macedonia and became a Catholic nun in India, changing her name to Teresa. She never saw her family again. Her decades of devoted charity to the poor earned her global recognition and a 1979 Nobel Peace Prize. Though she was a prominent religious figure, she suffered from a crisis of faith that lasted decades. Since her death in 1997, she has rapidly progressed toward being declared a saint. Why was an exorcism once performed on Mother Teresa? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Character is not cut in marble—it is not something solid and unalterable. It is something living and changing, and may become diseased as our bodies do.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be rained out— To be delayed, postponed, or cancelled due to the rain. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Namibia Heroes' Day (2025)To honor those who lost their lives fighting for national freedom, Namibia has designated August 26 as Heroes' Day. On this day, thousands of Namibians gather at Ongulumbashe to celebrate. Representatives from all 13 regions give performances and cultural presentations, including traditional praise songs and dances. A re-enactment of the battle of Ongulumbashe concludes with the raising of the Namibian flag, as the real fighters did after each triumph in the war. In Namibia's capital city of Windhoek, the Heroes' Acre national monument was erected to honor the freedom fighters. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: swinegruntle - Can be used for swine, meaning "to make a little grunt." More... pig - Originally meant just "young pig" until the 16th century—the word in Old and Middle English for the animal was swine. More... swine - The collective (and ancestral) term for domesticated pigs and hogs; a hog is 120 pounds and ready for market, while a pig is immature and weighs less. More... | |