Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, December 20, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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vagrant
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining the Continuous AspectThe continuous aspect is a subclass of the imperfective that emphasizes the progressive nature of the verb, looking at it as an incomplete action in progress over a specific period of time. The continuous aspect does not indicate the duration of the action, nor how often it occurs. Instead, it shows what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 OrphanagesOrphanages have existed since the first century. Often depicted in works of fiction as cold, abusive institutions, orphanages largely fell out of favor in the 1950s, following a series of abuse and coercion scandals. Many countries then began to close such facilities in favor of foster care and accelerated adoption, leading to a dramatic rise in the number of citizens from so-called First-World countries who travel to the Third World to adopt. Where was the first orphanage in the US located? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Tragedy at Sea: MV Doña Paz Passenger Ferry Sinks (1987)The passenger ferry MV Doña Paz was traveling along the Tablas Strait in the Philippines when it collided with the MT Vector, an oil tanker carrying 8,800 barrels of petroleum products. The cargo ignited, causing a fire that spread onto the Doña Paz. Survivors had to jump ship, and both vessels quickly sank in shark-infested waters. The accident claimed over 4,000 lives, as the Doña Paz was grossly overcrowded. How many passengers was it supposed to hold? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Branch Wesley Rickey (1881)Rickey was an American baseball executive. In 1919, he devised baseball's farm system of using minor-league teams to train major-league players. In 1945, after he took over the Brooklyn Dodgers, he defied convention and broke a long-standing race barrier by hiring Jackie Robinson, the first black player in the major leagues. A deeply religious man, the "Mahatma"—as Rickey was popularly known—never played, attended, or managed games on Sundays. What protective gear did he introduce to baseball? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I wonder if the snow loves the trees and fields, that it kisses them so gently?Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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thanks for nothing!— An expression of annoyance, exasperation, or disappointment when someone does something unhelpful or disagreeable. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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.jpg) Halcyon Days (2016)The ancient Greeks called the seven days preceding and the seven days following the Winter Solstice the "Halcyon Days." Greek mythology has it that Halcyone (or Alcyone), Ceyx's wife and one of Aeolus's daughters, drowned herself when she learned her husband had drowned. The gods took pity on her and transformed them both into kingfishers. Zeus commanded the seas to be still during these days, and it was considered a period when sailors could navigate in safety. Today, the expression "halcyon days" has come to mean a period of tranquillity, often used as a nostalgic reference to times past. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: withdrawanchorite - Its meaning of "hermit" derived from Greek ana-, "back," and chorein, "to withdraw." More... cease, cede - Cease and cede come from Latin cedere, "go away, withdraw." More... retire - From French retirer, from re-, "back" and tirer, "throw," its first sense was "withdraw to a place of safety or seclusion." More... take for the kitchen - To withdraw from a conversation or to remain silent. More... | |