Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, January 2, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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voluminous
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Personal Pronouns and AntecedentsGrammatical number in English simply means whether something or someone is singular or plural—that is, is there one of something or someone (singular), or are there more than one (plural)? This is answered by the pronoun's antecedent, which is what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Eruption ColumnsVisually similar to nuclear mushroom clouds, eruption columns are massive plumes of hot ash produced during explosive volcanic eruptions. In extreme cases, eruption columns may rise over 25 miles (40 km), penetrating the stratosphere and causing short-term climate change, like the drop in global temperature that followed the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo. It is believed that the largest eruptions can cause up to several degrees of global cooling and may be responsible for what phenomena? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Second Ibrox Disaster (1971)On several occasions in the 1960s, spectators at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland, were killed or injured while trying to exit through the stairway closest to the nearby subway station, raising questions about safety. Tragically, 66 people were crushed to death in the staircase in early 1971. The crush is believed to have been triggered when, after a late goal by the home team, thousands of fans attempted to leave at the same time—and someone fell. What claimed 25 lives at Ibrox in 1902? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (1873)Born into a devout Catholic family, Thérèse entered the convent at Lisieux at age 15. Plagued by depression and guilt, she was prompted by her prioress to write an account of her spiritual development. It describes her "Little Way," an absolute, childlike surrender to God. After her death at 24, the book was published as Story of a Soul, and her grave became a pilgrimage site. Though its national church does not recognize her as such, Catholics consider her a patron saint of what country? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The woods are never solitary—they are full of whispering, beckoning, friendly life. But the sea is a mighty soul, forever moaning of some great, unshareable sorrow, which shuts it up into itself for all eternity…The woods call to us with a hundred voices, but the sea has one only—a mighty voice that drowns our souls in its majestic music. The woods are human, but the sea is of the company of the archangels.Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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live on a shoestring— To live within a very tight or limited financial budget. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Cape Town Minstrels' Carnival (2018)The Annual Minstrels' Carnival in Cape Town, South Africa, was inspired by the animated singing and dancing of African-American musicians and singers of the United States. Bands are organized during the year, money is raised to purchase the materials needed for their costumes, and on Second New Year (January 2), and the week or so that follows, the bands take over the city, displaying their costumes and performing their music in the streets. This roisterous carnival is offset by string bands, the members of which are decorously dressed and parade with great dignity. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: rushexigent - A good word to write on letters or packages, since everyone else writes "urgent" or "rush." More... rush candle, rush light - A rush candle or rush light is a candle of feeble power made by dipping the pith of a rush in tallow or other grease. More... spate - A sudden flood or rush, an outpouring. More... debacle - Comes from French debacler, "to unbar, free," with the root sense being "to shatter with one's rod"; its original meaning was "a breaking-up of ice in a river" or a "sudden flood or rush of water carrying debris." More... | |
| In the News | |
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Eat your vegetables: Nutrients in leafy greens may help prevent dementiaNutrients found in green leafy vegetables just might make your mind 11 years younger, according to a new study. Dementia, a decline in memory and cognitive function, is one of the most feared aspects of aging. But those who reported eating their vegetables ... More... | |