Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, October 24, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
abstruse
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Ending a Sentence with a PrepositionNearly every grammar guide agrees that it is acceptable and often more correct to end a sentence with a dangling preposition than to rewrite the sentence specifically to avoid it. Why? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 The July 20 PlotEven before the start of World War II, some Nazi officials sought to remove Adolf Hitler from power. As the war dragged on, Nazi leaders desiring to assassinate Hitler and seek more favorable peace terms from the Allies hatched the so-called July 20 Plot. On that day in 1944, German colonel Claus von Stauffenberg planted a bomb in a briefcase at a meeting with Hitler, but the Führer escaped with minor injuries. How many people were arrested and executed in the Gestapo's subsequent investigation? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
.svg.png) Zambia Gains Independence (1964)The area that is now Zambia came under British control in the early 1900s with the development of the copper mining industry. After decades of nationalist struggle, the British protectorate of Northern Rhodesia became the independent Republic of Zambia. Kenneth Kaunda, a former schoolteacher who had been jailed for nationalist political activities prior to independence, became its first president. Zambia may have been the first country to do what during the Olympics? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Annie Edson Taylor (1838)On her 63rd birthday, Taylor became the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. The interior of the barrel was cushioned and the air was compressed with a bicycle pump. Before her trip, Taylor sent a cat over the falls in her barrel—and it lived. Days later, she drifted over the falls in the same barrel and walked away from the plunge with minor injuries. However, she did not significantly profit from the stunt. According to some accounts, her barrel was stolen by whom? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 If you don't get what you want, it's a sign either that you did not seriously want it, or that you tried to bargain over the price.Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
follow (someone or something) in stride— To follow the direction, lead, or guidance (of someone or something); to act in accordance (with someone or something); to follow suit. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 World Development Information Day (2020)In 1972, the United Nations established World Development Information Day on October 24. The purpose of this observance is to raise awareness about world economic development and the programs devised by the U.N. to promote development. The date was chosen to coincide with United Nations Day and the adoption of the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: techniquetraffic-calming device - Any device (e.g. a speed bump) or technique on or next to a road that is used to slow or restrict traffic, especially in residential areas. More... appliance - First was the use or application of a technique, putting a technique into practice. More... expression marks - The collective term for musical directives, including tempo, volume, technique, phrasing, and mood. More... martial art - So named for Japanese bu-jutsu (bu + jutsu), "art, technique, skill, craft." More... | |