Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, August 19, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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button-down
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Forming ContractionsWhen two words are combined to form a contraction, we use an apostrophe as a substitute for the letter or letters that are removed as a result. Most commonly, it is the second word in the group that is shortened. What is this shortened word known as? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 K2Standing 28,251 ft (8,611 m) high on the border of China and Pakistan, K2 is the second highest mountain in the world. Although the summit of Mt. Everest is at a higher altitude, K2 is considered a more difficult climb, due in part to its severe weather. Part of the Karakorum segment of the Himalayas, the peak was first scaled in 1954, but only a few hundred climbers have ever reached the summit—compared to the thousands who have ascended Everest. Why is the mountain called "K2"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Little Person Eddie Gaedel Has Major League Debut (1951)At 43 inches (1.1 m) tall, Gaedel became the shortest player in the history of Major League Baseball when he made a single plate appearance for the St. Louis Browns in 1951. He arrived on the field inside a replica cake honoring the American League's 50th anniversary, amusing the crowd by popping out of it. No one suspected his true reason for being there. Browns owner Bill Veeck—a showman fond of publicity stunts—had put Gaedel on the roster. What happened when Gaedel stepped up to the plate? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Roman Vishniac (1897)A Russian-American biologist, photographer, linguist, art historian, philosopher, and professor, Vishniac is best remembered for producing a photographic record of Central and Eastern European Jewish communities in the years preceding the Holocaust. His efforts were not without risk; he was imprisoned 11 times and forced to do hard labor in two concentration camps. He escaped to the US in 1940 and returned to his scientific roots, contributing to the development of what photographic techniques? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 So much does friendship triumph over misfortune, that sorrows and sufferings vanish at the meeting not only of real friends, but of the most distant acquaintances, and substitutes happiness in their room.John Filson (1747-1788) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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pester (someone) for (something)— To continually annoy someone with requests for something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Payson Rodeo "August Doin's" (2018)The Payson Rodeo is a rodeo, parade, and general Wild West three-day weekend in the cowboy-and-cattle country of Payson, Arizona. The first Payson rodeo was held in 1885, and it's been held ever since with no interruptions, not even for war, making it the world's oldest continuous Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association rodeo. Events of the weekend include the parade with floats, dancers, and cowboys, country music, a chili cookout, and arts and crafts. Total attendance is usually about 30,000. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: promisedevout, devote - Devout and devote come from Latin de- and vovere, "promise." More... fiance - French for "a promise." More... gage - In "engage," it means "pledge, promise." More... promise - Latin promittere originally meant "send forth," but evolved to mean "say in advance, foretell," and then "cause to expect," hence, promise. More... | |
| In the News | |
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Elephants rarely get cancer. Here's why this matters to humansYou'd think elephants would be getting cancer left and right: They are giants of the animal kingdom and have trillions more cells than humans -- cells that, in theory, could turn into cancer over their decades-long lifespans. But you'd be wrong. It's ... More... | |