Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, January 14, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
rector
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Defining InfinitivesAn infinitive is the most basic form of a verb. It is "unmarked" (which means that it is not conjugated for tense or person), and it is preceded by what particle? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 XenoglossyOften cited as proof of reincarnation, xenoglossy is a purportedly paranormal phenomenon wherein a person displays the ability to speak a language that he or she could not have learned by natural means. For example, an individual who begins to speak fluent German but who has never studied German, traveled to a German-speaking country, or associated with German speakers is said to exhibit xenoglossy. What are some of the bizarre accounts of individuals reported to have experienced xenoglossy? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Huygens Probe Lands on Titan (2005)It took the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft more than six years to reach Saturn. During the trip, the Huygens probe remained dormant, preserving its battery life for a landing on Saturn's largest moon. The only moon in the solar system known to have clouds and a dense atmosphere, Titan resembles Earth in many ways. It was not known whether the probe would land on solid ground or in an ocean. After Huygens touched down, Titan's surface was described as being similar to what food? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Kimitake Hiraoka, AKA Yukio Mishima (1925)Born into a samurai family, Mishima served briefly in the finance ministry before going on to become one of the most important Japanese novelists of the 20th century. His novels are known for their exquisite attention to detail and character and often involve paradoxes—such as when a troubled monk destroys the temple he loves in The Temple of the Golden Pavilion. Following a failed coup attempt in 1970, he tried to commit seppuku, ritual suicide by self-disembowelment. How did he die? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 It was on one of those mornings, common in early spring, when the year, fickle and changeable in its youth like all other created things, is undecided whether to step backward into winter or forward into summer.Charles Dickens (1812-1870) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
on the long finger— In a state of postponement or procrastination. (Used especially in the phrase "put something on the long finger.") Primarily heard in Ireland. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Meitlisonntag (2018)In the Seetal district of Aargau, Switzerland, the girls of Meisterschwanden and Farhwangen hold a procession on the second Sunday in January known as Meitlisonntag, or "Girls' Sunday." They dress in historical uniforms and stage a military parade before an all-female General Staff. The custom dates from the second Villgermen War of 1712, a conflict in which the women of Meisterschwanden and Fahrwangen played a vital role in achieving victory. The military procession is followed by a popular festival. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: kickcoup de savate - A kick with the flat of the foot. More... Gaelic football - A rough, football-like game mainly played in Ireland with 15 players to each side with the object of punching, dribbling, or kicking the ball into a goal. More... punt, bunt - Punt, as in "kick," may be from bunt, "push," used in baseball to mean "hit the ball softly." More... kick, punt - The dent in the bottom of a wine or champagne bottle is the kick or punt. More... | |
| In the News | |
|---|---|
Melting ice is causing the ocean to sink, worrying new study reportsScientists have identified yet another unexpected consequence of climate change: warming temperatures are causing polar ice to melt, and this extra weight is causing the ocean floor to sink. This process also exacerbates sea level rise. Much like an ... More... | |