Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, April 2, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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pleonastic
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Countable NounsCountable nouns (also known as count nouns) are nouns that can be considered as individual, separable items, which means they can be counted with numbers—we can have one, two, five, 15, 100, and so on. Are abstract nouns ever countable? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Moses MontefioreMontefiore was a famous 19th century British-Jewish philanthropist. He was connected through marriage to the famed Rothschild family and became affiliated with the family's banking business. After accumulating a fortune on the London stock exchange, he retired at age 40 to devote himself to philanthropy and to securing political and civil emancipation for Jews in England, founding a hospital and girls' school in Jerusalem in 1855. Montefiore was knighted by what queen? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 CN Tower Becomes World's Tallest Free-Standing Structure (1975)In 1975, the final portion of the antenna atop Canada's CN Tower was set in place, completing the tower and officially making it the tallest free-standing structure on land. At 1,815 ft (553 m) in height, the CN Tower surpassed the previous record holder, Russia's Ostankino Tower, by 43 ft (13 m) but was itself surpassed in 2007 by Dubai's Burj Khalifa. According to a study, the CN Tower is struck by lightning more than any other structure in Toronto. How many times is it struck each year? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Hans Christian Andersen (1805)Andersen was a Danish writer best known for his many collections of fairy tales, in which he broke with literary tradition and employed the idioms and constructions of spoken language. His stories are imaginative combinations of universal elements from folk legend and include such favorites as "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Emperor's New Clothes." While some reveal an optimistic belief in the ultimate triumph of goodness and beauty, others are deeply pessimistic. What else did Andersen write? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Heathen, n.: A benighted creature who has the folly to worship something that he can see and feel.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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bump heads with— To clash with another person on a particular issue. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 International Children's Book Day (2019)This day, which is observed by countries all over the world, is held on Hans Christian Andersen's birthday, April 2, because the Danish author's stories have been favorites among children of all nationalities. Celebrations include contests in which children illustrate their favorite books. Every two years the International Board on Books for Young People sponsors the Hans Christian Andersen medals, which are awarded to a children's book author and a children's book illustrator for their contributions to children's literature. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: lapis lazuliazure stone - Another name for the lapis lazuli. More... lapis lazuli - A sky-blue semiprecious stone, it is pronounced lap-us-LAY-zuh-lee. More... sapphire - From Greek sappheiros, "lapis lazuli" or "blue stone." More... ultramarine - First a blue pigment made from lapis lazuli, imported from Asia by sea, so, in Latin, it was ultramarinus, "beyond the seas." More... | |