Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, July 13, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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self-seeking
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Present TenseThe present tense is mostly used to identify the action of a verb as taking place in the present time. What is the present perfect tense, and why is it so named? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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.jpg) The Black LegendThe Black Legend refers to a tradition of history writing that demonizes the Spanish Empire and led to the general belief, eagerly backed by rivals such as Britain and Holland, that Spain exceeded other nations in cruelty to its subject populations. Historian Bartolomé de Las Casas's 16th-century documentation of Spain's poor treatment of the natives of the New World contributed to the legend, as did Protestant propaganda exaggerating the severity of the Inquisition. What is the "White Legend"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 New York Draft Riots (1863)The New York Draft Riots, in which more than 100 civilians were killed, were the largest civil insurrection in US history after the Civil War. The rioters were mainly working-class men who were angry because, for a $300 fee, the wealthy could buy their way out of the Civil War draft. The rioters burned draft headquarters and other buildings. Mobs also attacked African Americans, whom they blamed for the war. The riots are portrayed in an alternate-history novel co-written by what politician? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Julius Caesar (100 BCE)Caesar, a Roman general and statesman, formed the First Triumvirate with Pompey and Marcus Licinius Crassus. He later precipitated the Roman Civil War, defeating Pompey and becoming dictator for life. His dictatorial powers, however, inspired great resentment. He was in the midst of launching a series of political and social reforms when he was assassinated on the Ides of March by conspirators led by Cassius and Brutus. His commentaries on what wars are considered classic military documents? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A fair result can be obtained only by fully stating and balancing the facts and arguments on both sides of each question.Charles Darwin (1809-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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adrenaline junkie— One who constantly seeks out the sudden increase of energy associated with dangerous activities, similar to the way drug addicts seek out the "high" achieved by drug use. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Cape Vincent French Festival (2019)Cape Vincent, New York, is in the Thousand Islands, where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence River, an area with a strong French heritage. Launched in 1968, the festival immediately drew an astounding number of visitors, many of them French Canadians. It takes place, appropriately enough, on the Saturday nearest Bastille Day and features a wide variety of French foods as well as a pageant and a parade of decorated carts. A French mass is held at St. Vincent de Paul's Church, and the evening ends with a waterfront display of fireworks. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: oddsacross the board - An allusion to the board displaying the odds in a horse race. More... rubble - Comes from Anglo-Norman robel, "bits of broken stone," from earlier French robe, "loot, odds and ends stolen." More... ironic - Something is ironic if the result is the opposite of what was intended; an ironic event is an incongruous event, one at odds with what might have been expected. More... odds and ends - The first official odds and ends were found in lumberyards—odds were pieces of board split irregularly by the sawmill, ends were pieces trimmed from boards that were cut to specific lengths. More... | |