Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, January 31, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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petulant
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Present Perfect Continuous TenseThe present perfect continuous tense is formed by using a form of the auxiliary verb "have" along with "been" and the present participle of the "main" verb. The present perfect continuous is very close in meaning to how we use the present perfect tense. How do they differ? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 JauharJauhar refers to the ancient Hindu tradition of honorable self-immolation of women. It originally described the voluntary death on a funeral pyre of India's queens and royal women, who would kill themselves to avoid capture when their castles were defeated. Jauhar also refers to the practice of mass suicide carried out in medieval times by besieged women and children, after which men would ride out to the battlefield to face certain death. What is the most famous historical example of Jauhar? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Ham the Chimp Becomes First Hominid Launched into Outer Space (1961)Ham was chosen from 40 chimpanzee flight candidates at New Mexico's Holloman Air Force Base to be the first hominid launched into outer space. He was named after an acronym for the lab that prepared him for his historic mission—the Holloman Aerospace Medical Center—and was trained to do simple tasks. In 1961, he was launched into space in a Project Mercury capsule from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean a short time later. What became of Ham after his space flight? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jack Roosevelt "Jackie" Robinson (1919)Robinson, a vocal member of the Civil Rights movement, was the first African-American baseball player in the modern major leagues and the first African American to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1949, he led the National League in both stolen bases and batting average and was named its most valuable player. In recognition of his accomplishments both on and off the field, Major League Baseball retired Robinson's number in 1997. How many times did he "steal home" during his career? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 In some ways, you know, people that don't exist, are much nicer than people that do.Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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get the gist— To understand the central, essential, or general matter of something, such as an argument, speech, concept, process, etc., without being proficient in the more specific details. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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30Jan1973.jpg) Up-Helly-Aa (2017)This ancient fire festival is observed by people of Lerwick in the Shetland Islands. In pre-Christian times, their Norse ancestors welcomed the return of the sun god with Yule, a 24-day period of feasting, storytelling, and bonfires. The last night of the festival was called Up-Helly-Aa, or "End of the Holy Days." Today, a group known as the Guizers builds a 31-foot model of a Viking longship in honor of the Viking invaders who remained in Scotland. On the night of Up-Helly-Aa, the Guizers dress in Norse costumes and carry the boat to an open field. There, they throw lit torches into the ship and burn it. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: request | |