Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, April 26, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
chattel
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Attributive NounsAttributive nouns, also called noun adjuncts, are nouns that are used to modify other nouns. For example, the noun adjunct "toy" can be used to modify the noun "soldier." The resulting phrase ("toy soldier") is known as what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Steve MartinAn Emmy-winning television comedy writer in the late 1960s, Martin began performing stand-up in the early 70s, achieving acclaim as a regular on Saturday Night Live in the late 70s. He recorded several comedy albums, two of them Grammy winners, and starred in TV specials and numerous comedy films. Martin has also found success as a writer of plays and novellas. Which of his novellas was made into a 2005 feature film? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Studio 54 Opens in New York (1977)The disco craze was relatively short-lived, beginning in the mid-1970s and fading by the 1980s, yet it had a lasting influence on the music scene. A beat-driven style of dance music, disco got its name from the "discotheque," the type of nightclub where it originated. No discotheque was more central to disco than Studio 54, the Manhattan club famous for its mix of celebrities, beautiful people, and hedonism. The club paralleled disco's demise and closed in 1980. What is the space used for today? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Fanny Blankers-Koen (1918)Representing her native Netherlands, Blankers-Koen made her Olympic debut at the 1936 Berlin Games but failed to medal. Two years later, she set her first world record in track and field. Unfortunately for her, both the 1940 and 1944 Games were cancelled due to WWII, so she had to wait until 1948's Summer Games in London to compete again. In addition to losing precious years, the athlete gave birth twice in the interim. Still, she went on to win four gold medals in London, earning what nickname? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 We cannot command nature except by obeying her.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
move house— To relocate from one house or place of residence to another. Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Tanzania Union Day (2018)On April 26, 1964, the East African countries of Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the United Republic of Tanzania. Union Day celebrates this merger. In the city of Dar es Salaam, speeches and a parade mark Union Day. Dignitaries from nearby countries join Tanzanian government officials in these festivities. In 2004, to mark Union Day, Tanzanian president Benjamin Mkapa pardoned nearly 4,500 prisoners who had been sentenced for minor crimes or who had less than three years to serve of a longer sentence. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: shoespumps - The shoes are so named for the sound they make. More... revamp - Originally referred to shoes—vamp being the covering of the instep. More... Brannock device - The device used to measure feet for shoes. More... be down on your uppers - To be down on your uppers (referring to shoes) is to be scuffing along, in poor circumstances. More... | |
| In the News | |
|---|---|
Brain Tumor? No, "Evil Twin" Sibling Was Growing in Woman's BrainAt the age of 26, Yamini Karanam, a PhD student at Indiana University's School of Informatics, suddenly started having trouble in school. The once brilliant student was finding it difficult to understand ... More... | |