Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, March 14, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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varsity
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Regular and Irregular VerbsRegular verbs form the past simple tense and past participle the same way (-d or -ed), while irregular verbs do not adhere to a distinct or predictable pattern. What common verb is known as a "highly irregular" verb? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Eon of Earth's FormationThe Hadean geologic eon began when the Earth was formed an estimated 4.6 billion years ago and ended approximately 800 million years later. There remain few geological traces of this period on Earth, but toward the end of the 20th c, geologists identified a few rocks and zircon crystals that dated to the Hadean. The eon's name is derived from Hades, a Greek word now used as a synonym for hell, and may be a reference to the conditions on Earth at the time. How hot was Earth's surface then? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin Awarded Patent (1794)By the end of the 18th century, the mechanization of fabric production in England had created a huge demand for US cotton, but cotton production was hampered by the large amount of manual labor required to remove the sticky seeds from the raw fiber. Whitney's cotton gin solved this problem, performing the work mechanically and quickly. Cotton production in the US skyrocketed, as did the slave population—which quadrupled by 1850. Why was Whitney unable to profit from his invention? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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.jpg) Johann Strauss I (1804)Tragically orphaned at the age of 12, Strauss was apprenticed to a bookbinder but studied violin on the side. After completing his apprenticeship, he performed in string quartets around Vienna before deciding to start his own band and write his own music. He enjoyed much professional success, but his family life was tempestuous. He forbade his children to study music, but they did anyway, with Johann II eventually overshadowing him. In 1849, he died after contracting scarlet fever from whom? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 We ascribe beauty to that which is simple; which has no superfluous parts; which exactly answers its end; which stands related to all things; which is the mean of many extremes.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have a fable for (something)— To have a strong or particular preference, affinity, or weakness for something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Vincent and the Grenadines National Heroes Day (2018)St. Vincent and the Grenadines is a nation comprised of a group of more than 30 islands in the Caribbean Sea, with St. Vincent being the largest. March 14 is National Heroes Day, when the country honors their national hero, Chief Joseph Chatoyer. He led the nation in preventing the Europeans from colonizing the islands. On March 14, 1795, Chatoyer was killed by British troops at Dorsetshire Hill. A monument honoring Chatoyer stands on this spot; as part of the Heroes Day celebration, a wreath-laying ceremony is held at the obelisk at Dorsetshire Hill. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: small piececollup - A small piece or slice. More... cover slip - The small piece of thin glass that goes over the specimen on a microscope slide. More... brioche - In French, it literally means "split up into small pieces." More... stamp - Originally meant "crush into small pieces; pound"; its sense of "imprint with design by pressure" came into play in the 16th century—and is the semantic basis of postage stamp. More... | |