Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, October 31, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
bullhorn
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Aspects of the Future TenseWe use different aspects with verbs in the future tense to describe exactly how an event is structured in relation to a future point in time. The future continuous and future perfect continuous are typically only used with what type of verb? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Leptis MagnaLeptis Magna was a prominent city of the Roman Empire whose remains are among the most spectacular and best-preserved Roman ruins in North Africa. Located on the coast of what is now Libya, Leptis Magna was incorporated into the Roman Empire after the fall of Carthage, flourished under the rule of Emperor Septimius Severus—a Leptis Magna native—and eventually became a major trading post. What ancient artifacts found near the site were kept hidden for five years before being revealed in 2005? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Leiden University Library Opens in the Netherlands (1587)The city of Leiden played a prominent role in the revolt that would create an independent Dutch nation. In 1575—a year after Leiden had survived a siege by the Spanish—Prince William the Silent founded a university in the city. Today, Leiden University is the oldest in the Netherlands. Its library, once housed in a single room, is now home to a monumental collection of books, manuscripts, maps, and letters—some of which are centuries old and very rare. What was the library's first book? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 John Evelyn (1620)From 1631 until his death in 1706, Evelyn kept a diary that is today an invaluable source of information on 17th-century British social, cultural, and political life. He corresponded frequently with Samuel Pepys, another now-famous diarist of the time. Living as a wealthy country gentleman in Deptford, he wrote about 30 books on various subjects including reforestation, vegetarianism, and numismatics. In 1661, he wrote the Fumifugium, believed to be the first book written on what topic? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 She might hate me, and revile me, and heap indignity after indignity upon me, as she already had, until I should have hated her; but the pitiful fact remained that I loved her.Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
bragging rights— The authority and freedom to boast or brag of one's achievements that comes from having won a contest or succeeded in some way, especially against a close rival. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Apple and Candle Night (2017)This is another name for Halloween among children in the Swansea area of Wales. The traditional game of "Apple and Candle" is played by suspending a stick from the ceiling with an apple fastened to one end and a lit candle to the other. The object is to eat the apple without using hands and without getting burned by the swinging candle. To make the game more challenging, players are sometimes blindfolded and the stick is twirled around before the game begins. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: rindcrust - From French crouste, from Latin crusta, "rind, shell; incrustation." More... pith - First referred to the spongy cellular tissue in the stems and branches of many plants, and also the spongy white tissue lining the rind of citrus fruits. More... rind, peel - The rind is the hard or tough covering on oranges, grapefruit, and watermelon; once removed, skin or rind is usually known as peel. More... | |
| In the News | |
|---|---|
Ancient Interior Decorators: Did Early Humans Line Caves with Lion Pelts?Some 16,000 years ago a big cat died. Today, its toes may provide insight into its species' extinction. The cave lion, Panthera spelaea, once roamed from Europe to northern North America. Scientists think the animal was much like its modern African counterpart ... More... | |