Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, October 14, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Defining DeterminersDeterminers are used to introduce a noun or noun phrase. There are several classes of determiners: articles, demonstrative adjectives, possessive adjectives, interrogative adjectives, distributive determiners, pre-determiners, quantifiers, and numbers. What two things do determiners do? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 The Plague of JustinianThe Plague of Justinian was a pandemic that afflicted the Byzantine Empire during and after the rule of Emperor Justinian I, who himself contracted the disease. The most commonly accepted cause of the pandemic is the bubonic plague, which is infamous for its role in the so-called Black Death of the 14th century. It is estimated that the Plague of Justinian wiped out what percentage of Constantinople's population at the time? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Theodore Roosevelt Shot in the Chest While Campaigning (1912)During a bid for the presidency in 1912, Roosevelt was shot by saloonkeeper John Schrank. The bullet lodged in his chest after penetrating a steel eyeglass case and a folded copy of the 50-page speech he was carrying in his jacket, but he refused to go to the hospital until after he had delivered his scheduled speech. Doctors deemed it too dangerous to remove the bullet, and it remained in Roosevelt's chest for the rest of his life. What did Roosevelt say about the shooting during his speech? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Ralph Lauren (1939)Lauren began designing ties while working as a tie salesman and opened his own business in 1967. His first menswear line, under the Polo name, debuted the next year, and the mesh sport shirt—featuring an emblem of a polo player—would become his signature piece. His expensive creations evoke the look of the English aristocracy as adopted by the East-Coast American elite. His label also appears on furnishings, tableware, and luggage. What made him change his last name to Lauren? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 A common and natural result of an undue respect for the law is, that you may see a file of soldiers ... marching in admirable order over hill and dale to the wars, against their wills, ay, against their common sense and consciences.Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
set (someone or something) loose— To make free or give up control of something or someone; to release or discharge something or someone, as from confinement. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Svetitskhovloba (2023)Built in the 11th century, the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is located in the historical town of Mtskheta in Georgia. It is one of the principal worship sites of the Georgian Orthodox faith and has also inspired a major Georgian Orthodox holiday, Svetitskhovloba, which is celebrated two days of the year, July 13 and October 14. Svetitskhovloba pays homage to this cathedral, as well as to the relic that it is believed to hold: the cloak of Christ. Pilgrims from Georgia and other nearby countries congregate for a mass baptism at the junction of the Aragvi and Kura rivers. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: highesttop note - The highest in a piece of music or in a singer's vocal range. More... paramount, tantamount - Paramount means "primary, top," and tantamount means "equivalent to, same as"; paramount first meant "highest in jurisdiction." More... prime - Unusual since it can have virtually opposite meanings: "preliminary, basic" or "lowest"—as well as "finest" and "highest." More... supreme - Ultimately from Latin supra, "above," which begat supremus, "highest." More... | |