Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, February 17, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
putsch
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
ParticiplesParticiples are words formed from verbs that can function as adjectives or gerunds or can be used to form the continuous tenses and the perfect tenses of verbs. There are two participle forms—what are they? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 GroupthinkIn order to minimize conflict and avoid embarrassment, group members often refrain from promoting viewpoints that deviate from the apparent group consensus. This mode of thinking is known as "groupthink" and is characterized by extensive self-censorship among group members who unquestioningly believe in the morality of the group. Striving for unanimity without appraising alternative courses of action can often have dire consequences. What fiasco inspired the study of the concept of "groupthink"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 The Armory Show Opens in New York City (1913)The Armory Show was an international exhibition of modern art held in 1913 at the 69th-regiment armory in New York City. Representing a range of avant-garde movements in Europe, the show was one of the most important art exhibitions ever held in the US. The Armory Show aroused the curiosity of the public and helped to change the direction of American painting. What painting at the exhibition was singled out by hostile critics as emblematic of the so-called insanity and degeneracy of modern art? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Thomas John Watson, Sr. (1874)After rising from clerk to sales executive in the National Cash Register Co., Watson became president of the Computing-Tabulating-Recording Co., which made scales, time clocks, and tabulators that sorted information using punched cards—all forerunners of mainframe computers. Watson renamed the company International Business Machines Corp. (IBM) in 1924 and became its chairman in 1949, widening IBM's line to include electronic computers. What one-word motto did Watson promote at IBM? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 The land of literature is a fairy-land to those who view it at a distance, but, like all other landscapes, the charm fades on a nearer approach, and the thorns and briars become visible.Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
without letup— Without slowing down or stopping. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Battle of Olustee Reenactment (2019)The Battle of Olustee Reenactment commemorates the largest battle in Florida during the Civil War. A Confederate victory, the Battle of Olustee was fought on February 20, 1864, and a reenactment has taken place on a February weekend each year since 1977 in Lake City, Florida. Associated events include a beauty pageant, history displays and lectures, a music festival, an arts and crafts fair, Blue-Grey 5K and 1-Mile Fun Runs, and a Blue/Grey Square Dance. The Battle Reenactment, with about 2,000 reenactors, is the largest annual Civil War reenactment in the Southeast. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: swindleconfidence trick - First a swindle in which the victim was persuaded to entrust money or valuables to the swindler. More... swindler, swindle - Swindler and swindle are from German Schwindler, "promoter of wild schemes; cheat." More... chizz - To chizz someone is to cheat or swindle them. More... honeyfugle, honeyfuggle - To honeyfugle or honeyfuggle is to dupe, deceive, or swindle. More... | |