Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, June 27, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ineffable
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Quantifying Uncountable NounsAlthough similar in nature to other nouns, uncountable nouns refer to things that cannot be divided into individual units, and that therefore cannot be made plural at all. How do we quantify them? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Four Heavenly KingsThe Four Heavenly Kings are Buddhist deities tasked with watching over the world's four cardinal directions. As guardians of the world and fighters of evil, they have vowed to shield the Buddha's followers from danger and possess the power to command a legion of supernatural creatures to protect the Dharma, the Buddha's teachings. Thrice monthly, the kings send messengers or go themselves to see how virtue and morality are faring in the world of men. To whom do they report their findings? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Battle of Dettingen (1743)In 1713, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI issued the Pragmatic Sanction, which stated that a female heir could inherit his lands. When his daughter Maria Theresa became queen in 1740, the War of Austrian Succession erupted. Austrian, British, German, and Dutch troops formed the Pragmatic Army, named in support of the sanction, and defeated French troops in the Battle of Dettingen, despite having no access to supplies. In the battle, what did King George II do that no British monarch has done since? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Louis XII of France (1462)King of France from 1498 to 1515, Louis XII succeeded his cousin Charles VIII. Called the "Father of the People" by his subjects, Louis maintained his popularity by ruling with moderation. Despite early victories, he was unsuccessful in asserting French claims in Italy after he met resistance from Pope Julius II's "Holy League." Though his failures in Italy did not tarnish his image in France, they were the subject of a commentary in a famous work by what Italian political theorist of the time? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 To furnish the means of acquiring knowledge is . . . the greatest benefit that can be conferred upon mankind. It prolongs life itself and enlarges the sphere of existence.John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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(one's) moment in the sun— A brief period of time in which one is or has been particularly successful, popular, famous, etc., especially when set against an otherwise moderate or unremarkable life. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith (2018)Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, also known as Mormons, commemorate the day on which their founder, Joseph Smith, and his brother, Hyrum, were murdered in the city jail in Carthage, Illinois, in 1844. Joseph had announced his candidacy for presidency earlier that year; as the mayor of Nauvoo, IL, Smith saw to it that the press used to print the opposition newspaper was destroyed. Threats of mob violence followed, and Smith and his brother were jailed for treason. A mob of men stormed the jail on June 27 and killed them, thus elevating them to the status of martyrs. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: poleboom - From Dutch, originally a long beam or pole. More... pogo stick - Came onto the scene around 1921, but is of uncertain etymology, possibly from "pole" and "go." More... pole position - Refers to pole as the term for the inside fence on a racecourse. More... trolley pole - The pole sticking up from a bumper car. More... | |
| In the News | |
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Could the Best Memory System Be One that Forgets?Intuitively, we tend to think of forgetting as failure, as something gone wrong in our ability to remember. Now, Canadian neuroscientists with the University of Toronto are challenging that notion. In a paper published Wednesday in the journal Neuron, they ... More... | |