Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, November 23, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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monotonous
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Causative Verbs and TenseCausative verbs are followed by a noun or pronoun and a non-causative verb in either the infinitive or base form. Because the non-causative verb is always in the infinitive form, the tense of the sentence depends on the conjugation of the causative verb. Causative verbs can be used in what tenses? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Red River Ox CartsRed River ox carts were a vital form of transportation during the 19th-century westward expansion in the US and Canada. They carried fur to trading posts in places like St. Paul, Minnesota, and then carried supplies back to settlements along the Red River of the North, which now forms the Minnesota–North Dakota border. Built entirely of wood and animal hide—and no metal—the carts typically had two wheels, which were notorious for their constant creaking. Why couldn't their axles be greased? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Hijacking of EgyptAir Flight 648 (1985)Minutes after taking off from an Athens airport on November 23, 1985, EgyptAir Flight 648 was hijacked by five Palestinian terrorists. The plane was forced to land in Malta, where authorities attempted to negotiate with the hijackers. The terrorists shot two Israelis and three Americans before Egyptian commandos launched a disastrous raid in which nearly 60 hostages were killed. Remarkably, three of the passengers shot by the terrorists survived. How did one of the terrorists almost escape? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Arthur Adolph "Harpo" Marx (1888)Harpo was a member of the American comedy team known as the Marx Brothers. The brothers enjoyed success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in motion pictures from the early 1900s to about 1950. Harpo never spoke during their performances and instead blew a horn, whistled, or mimed to communicate. He also got laughs with his prop-laden sight gags, many of which involved the seemingly infinite number of odd items he managed to produce from his topcoat's oversized pockets. How did he get his nickname? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Anarchy is the sure consequence of tyranny; for no power that is not limited by laws can ever be protected by them.John Milton (1608-1674) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be kept in the dark (about something)— To be kept uninformed (about something); to be excluded from full knowledge or disclosure (of something). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. George's Day (Republic of Georgia) (2024)Nothing much is known for certain about St. George, but he is popularly known in medieval legend for slaying a vicious dragon that was besieging a town in Cappadocia. To this day, St. George is often depicted with a dragon. St. George's Day, sometimes referred to as Georgemas, has been observed as a religious feast as well as a holiday since the 13th century. It is celebrated on November 23 as a national holiday in the Republic of Georgia. A festival is held at the cathedral of Mtskheta, the old capital and religious center of Georgia. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: sedimentdecant - Means to pour wine, taking pains not to disturb any sediment at the bottom; decant comes from Latin de- and canthus, "angular lip of a jug." More... allogenic, allochthonous - Geological material that has been transported and then accumulates elsewhere is allochthonous, and sediment carried by a river is allogenic. More... lithification - The process of compaction of sediment into stone. More... | |