Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, June 17, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Using Action VerbsAction verbs are verbs that are used to explain what the subject of a sentence is actively doing. What kind of verb is used to describe a subject's condition or state of being? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Butterfly ZoosButterfly zoos are special habitats where butterflies can breed and visitors can observe the delicate creatures without a partition separating them. Butterflies are most active on warm, sunny days, and zoo visitors can encourage the colorful insects to land on them by wearing light floral perfume and brightly-colored clothing. Because their wings are easily damaged, however, it is inadvisable to touch the butterflies. When is the best time to see these "flying flowers" emerging from their pupae? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 The Night Attack (1462)The Night Attack was a battle fought between the forces of Wallachian Prince Vlad III, known as Vlad the Impaler, and the forces of Mehmed II, sultan of the Ottoman Empire. After Vlad raided Bulgaria and killed more than 20,000 Turks and Bulgarians, Mehmed marched on Wallachia, and the two powers fought a series of skirmishes. In the Night Attack, Vlad attacked the Turkish camp in an attempt to assassinate Mehmed. The attempt failed, but Mehmed retreated anyway. Why? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Edward I of England, AKA Edward Longshanks (1239)Edward became king upon the death of his father, Henry III, in 1272 but was not crowned until he returned from a crusade two years later. His 35-year reign was characterized by constant warfare, including long and costly campaigns to conquer Wales and Scotland. It was a struggle to fund these endeavors, and he did so, in part, by exploiting the Jews under his rule. Finally, in 1290, he expelled them from England and seized their property. For how long did his Edict of Expulsion remain in effect? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 A lifetime of happiness! No man alive could bear it: it would be hell on earth.George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
six in one, (and) half a dozen in the other— The difference between these two options is negligible, irrelevant, or unimportant; either option is fine or will work as well as the other. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Saigusa Matsuri (2024)For hundreds of years the citizens of Nara, Japan, have searched the surrounding mountains for lilies, gathering them each summer in preparation for the Lily Festival at the Isagawa Shrine. A Shinto priest carries a large bundle of flowers to the altar as an offering. Then the seven women perform a special dance in which they wave lily stalks in a motion designed to ward off the problems brought on by the wet weather typical this time of year. Afterwards, the lilies are mounted on a float and taken out in a procession through the streets of Nara, where it is believed that they will purify the air. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: rayshaft - A ray of light. More... radiate - As an adjective, it means having rays or parts coming out of a center, from Latin radius, "ray, spoke." More... radio wave - Travels like rays of light, so it takes its name from Latin radius, "spoke of a wheel; ray of light." More... sol-fa - The sol-fa syllables are doh, ray, mi, fah, sol, lah, te—for the notes of the major musical scale. More... | |