Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, February 6, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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apropos
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Order of AdverbsThere is a general order in which the different categories of adverbs should appear—this is known as the order of adverbs (or the royal order of adverbs). What type of adverb is typically used first in a sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 BioluminescenceFireflies light up due to bioluminescence: the ability of living organisms to convert chemical energy to light energy. Bioluminescence is also exhibited by some fungi, mollusks, and worms, and bioluminescent fish are common in the ocean's depths, likely because the light aids in species recognition in the darkness. Other animals use luminescence in courtship and mating, to divert predators, or to attract prey. Why is most marine bioluminescence in the blue and green part of the spectrum? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Dalton Gang Holds Up Its First Train (1891)After US Marshall Frank Dalton was killed in the line of duty, three of his nine brothers—Bob, Grat, and Emmett—became lawmen themselves. However, they soon decided that they preferred the other side of the law. Aided by another Dalton brother, Bill, the gang held up its first train in 1891. It did not go well. Undeterred, the brothers embarked on a train-robbing spree across much of the western US, which ended when the townspeople of Coffeyville, Kansas, saw through what unsuccessful disguise? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Mary Leakey (1913)The daughter of an artist, Leakey had little formal education, but her love of archaeology led her to work on excavations, initially as an illustrator. Digging in Africa—often with her husband, fellow archaeologist Louis Leakey—she made some of anthropology's most significant finds, including a 20-million-year-old skull and a set of hominid footprints preserved in volcanic ash. When she was a youth, what incident resulted in her being expelled from a convent school for the second time? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Let my name stand among those who are willing to bear ridicule and reproach for the truth's sake, and so earn some right to rejoice when the victory is won.Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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not know (someone) from a bar of soap— To be completely unaware of or know nothing about someone; to have never met the person indicated. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Sàmi National Holiday (2021)The Sàmi people are indigenous to the arctic area of the Nordic countries. February 6 is recognized as Sàmi National Holiday in Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. This day is full of activities that celebrate the Sàmi culture. First celebrated in 1993, it has become a popular event and a time for the indigenous Sàmi people to celebrate their cultural identity. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: shouthue and cry - Somewhat redundant, as hue means "shout, make an outcry"; hue and cry was a medieval law requiring that all citizens within earshot give chase to a fleeing criminal. More... jubilate - From a Latin word meaning "shout for joy." More... slogan - From Scottish-Gaelic slaugh, "army," and gairm, "shout"—since the first slogans were actually battle cries. More... claim - The etymological notion behind claim is "calling out," from Latin clamare, "cry out, shout." More... | |