Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, December 6, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
farrier
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Reporting VerbsIn reported speech, we use reporting verbs to introduce the information that was spoken previously. The most common so-called "reporting verbs" are "say" and "tell." When we use "tell," what else do we need to use? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Mahjong TilesThese popular tiles are used to play many games of Chinese origin, most notably Mahjong. Traditionally, the pieces were made of bone and backed with bamboo, but most modern sets are constructed from various plastics and contain between 136 and 144 tiles. The symbols on the tiles—the majority of which have a rank and suit like playing cards—are almost always engraved or pressed into the material. How do some expert players determine the face value of their tiles without actually looking at them? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 The Washington Monument Is Completed (1884)In 1783, Congress passed a resolution approving an equestrian statue of George Washington. Plans were made to erect it at the site of the present Washington Monument, but Washington objected to the idea. After his death in 1799, plans for a memorial were discussed but none was adopted until 1832, when blocks of stone began to be collected from each state, some foreign countries, and private individuals. The 555-ft (169-m) monument was finally completed in 1884. Its tip is made of what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Alfred Eisenstaedt (1898)Widely considered the father of photojournalism, Eisenstaedt began creating photo essays in Berlin during the 1920s. He emigrated to the US in 1935 and joined the original photography staff at Life magazine. Soon Eisenstaedt came to epitomize the magazine's style with his topically important and beautifully composed photographs and his candid portraits of the great and the anonymous. His most famous photograph is of the joyous Times Square kiss of a sailor and a nurse on what day? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Of ambitions, it is less harmful, the ambition to prevail in great things, than that other, to appear in every thing; for that breeds confusion, and mars business.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
agree in principle— To accept the general terms and/or conditions of a deal without having completed or agreed upon the specific details. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Ghana Farmers' Day (2019)Much of Ghana's national economy revolves around agriculture, so it is only appropriate that this African country reserves a date to honor its farmers and provide them a day off from their labors. An important component of the day is the awards ceremony, which is held on the regional and the national levels. Judges who have followed farmers' achievements throughout the year bestow prizes for excellence in such categories as husbandry practices, ecological awareness, use of new technology, and contributions to the local community. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: scorehopscotch - A game in which one must "hop" over the lines scratched in the ground; scotch means "scratched" or "to score." It was once called hop-score. More... Apgar score - A measure of a baby's wellbeing that takes into account respiratory effort, skin color, heart rate, muscle tone, and sense of smell—named for American anesthetist Virginia Apgar. More... earned run - In baseball, a run scored without the aid of errors by the opposing team's fielders. More... points in the paint - Refers to basketball points scored from within the free-throw lane. More... | |