Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, July 26, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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befuddled
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Regular VerbsAll English verbs are either regular or irregular, depending on how they are conjugated. The majority are regular verbs. What does this mean? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Cargo CultsFirst appearing in the late 19th c. but particularly prevalent after WWII, when many Pacific Islanders witnessed airdrops of supplies, cargo cults are the unorthodox religious movements that appeared in tribal societies after interaction with Westerners. Believing fallen cargo came from divine spirits who would send more upon seeing rituals based on the foreigners' behavior, the tribes built straw airplanes, radios made of coconuts, and other pseudo-Western items. Do any cargo cults exist today? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Short Creek Raid (1953)Before dawn on July 26, 1953, more than 100 Arizona state police officers and National Guard soldiers entered Short Creek, home to about 400 Mormon fundamentalists, many of whom illegally practiced polygamy. Almost the whole community was arrested, and 263 children were seized from their parents. Arizona's governor described it as a "police action against insurrection," but the raid drew widespread criticism. Community members knew the raid was coming. What were they doing when officers arrived? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jane "Jinny" Bunford (1895)Standing well over seven and a half feet tall, Bunford was twice recognized during her lifetime as the tallest person in the world. She is also believed to have had the longest hair, at 8 ft 1 in (2.5 m) long. Though she died in 1922, she was featured in the 1971 Guinness Book of World Records after her skeleton was discovered on display at Birmingham University. Bunford's height likely resulted from her pituitary gland secreting excessive growth hormones after what childhood accident? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 How quick come the reasons for approving what we like!Jane Austen (1775-1817) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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on the down low— In a state of secrecy or minimal public knowledge; being known only by a select few people. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Anne's Day (2018)In 1650, a group of Breton sailors built a tiny frame church at the place where the town of Beaupré, Quebec, Canada, now stands. They wanted to honor St. Anne, the traditional name for the mother of the Virgin Mary and wife of Joachim or St. Joseph. The pilgrimage to her shrine in Beaupré is one of the major pilgrimages on the North American continent; Romanies from Canada and the United States also arrive to celebrate Santana ("St. Anna"). They camp on the church property, prepare a slava feast of special foods for and prayers to St. Anne, and visit their families. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: procedureprocess, procedure - A process is a set or series of actions directed to some end or a natural series of changes; a procedure is a series of actions conducted in a certain manner, an established way of doing something. More... ceremonially, ceremoniously - Ceremonially relates to the performance of a procedure; ceremoniously relates to the performer of the procedure. More... procedure, process, proceed - Procedure, process, and proceed come from Latin procedere, "to go forward." More... seder - The Hebrew word for "order, procedure"; it is the ceremonial Jewish dinner held on the first night of Passover. More... | |
| In the News | |
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Psychotherapy Helps People Turn Down the Din of TinnitusAbout three years ago, a high-pitched "eeeeeeeee" sound started ringing in Linda Gray's ears. Sometimes, the ring would suddenly turn into a roar, sending Gray into panic mode. Her heart would speed up. She'd try to find a quiet room. "You're trying to ... More... | |