Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, October 9, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
emporium
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Prepositions and Indirect ObjectsSome transitive verbs are able to take both direct objects and indirect objects (people or things that receive the direct object of the verb). If a verb is capable of taking an indirect object, that person or thing appears immediately after the verb and before the direct object. We can also place it after the direct object with the preposition "to," in which case it is no longer a true indirect object but what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 The Westminster Dog ShowThe Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is widely considered America's most prestigious canine show. In 1877, a group of hunters—who met regularly at Manhattan's Westminster Hotel—created the show for sporting dogs, awarding a pearl-handled pistol as top prize. Their dog show is now the oldest continuously held sporting event in the US after the Kentucky Derby. The two-day event takes place annually in New York City's Madison Square Garden. Which breed group has won "Best in Show" the most times? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 The Phantom of the Opera Premieres in London (1986)Based on the French novel Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical The Phantom of the Opera opened at Her Majesty's Theatre in London in 1986. In 2010, it celebrated its 10,000th performance at the same venue. It opened in New York in 1988, and went on to become the longest-running musical on Broadway. It is also the most financially successful entertainment project of all time, having earned billions of dollars. What is the sequel to The Phantom of the Opera? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Alfred Dreyfus (1859)In 1894, French Army intelligence discovered that military secrets were being leaked to Germany. Dreyfus, a Jewish captain in the French Army, was blamed and convicted—twice—on insufficient and forged evidence. He was imprisoned on Devil's Island. The affair became a national scandal amid reports that the army, permeated by anti-Semitism, had covered up evidence of his innocence. He was pardoned by the president in 1899 and cleared by a civilian court in 1906. Who was probably the real traitor? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 I count him braver who overcomes his desires than him who conquers his enemies; for the hardest victory is the victory over self.Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
Potemkin village— Something that is made to seem very grand, elaborate, and/or prosperous for the purposes of impressing others, but which in reality has no real worth or substance. Taken from a story about Russian minister Grigory Potemkin (1739–1791) who allegedly erected false, painted façades to mimic a thriving, successful village along the Dnieper River in Crimea to impress the visiting Empress Catherine II. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Han'gul Day (2025)This day commemorates the invention of the Korean alphabet by scholars under the direction of King Sejong of the Yi Dynasty in 1446. The day is celebrated with Confucian rituals and Choson-period court dances performed at Yongnung, the king's tomb, in Yoju, Kyonggi. Yoju also stages the King Sejong Cultural Festival, with chanting and processions at Shilluksa Temple, farmers' dances, games such as tug of war, and a lantern parade. In some areas, there are calligraphy contests for both children and adults. Ceremonies are also held at the King Sejong Memorial Center near Seoul. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: trumpetkazoo, bazooka - Dutch bazu, "trumpet," gives us the words kazoo and bazooka, the latter originally being a form of kazoo that was a long sounding-horn. More... jubilee - Comes from Hebrew yobhel, "ram's horn," which was used as a trumpet to proclaim the jubilee, a year of emancipation and restoration (every 50 years). More... taratantara - The sound of a bugle or trumpet can be called taratantara. More... | |