Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, February 11, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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bambino
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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The Present Continuous for Actions Happening at the Moment of SpeechThe most common occurrence of the present continuous is when someone or something is performing an action at the very moment being described. What is the present continuous verb in the following sentence? "I am going home now." More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Unfinished WorksThe Canterbury Tales contains only a fraction of the stories Chaucer had planned, and Bach's The Art of Fugue cuts off so abruptly that it was long thought that he died while composing it. Sometimes, it is not the artist but the subject whose death prevents a work’s completion, as was the case with Franklin D. Roosevelt, who died just hours after a painter began his portrait. What other unfinished works leave us wondering what they would have been like had they been completed? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Tewodros II Crowned Emperor of Ethiopia (1855)Often called Ethiopia's first modern ruler, Tewodros was a bold and clever warrior who came to the throne through the conquest of other chiefs, reunifying the various Ethiopian kingdoms into one empire. He attempted to modernize the country, abolish feudalism and slavery, and focus loyalty around the government rather than the church but failed to achieve this during his reign. His later years were marked with instability and cruelty. Why did he assume the name Tewodros upon taking the throne? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Gian Francesco Poggio Bracciolini (1380)An Italian humanist and calligrapher, Poggio Bracciolini is remembered today for two reasons. As a secretary, historian, and copyist, he uncovered many forgotten and neglected Latin manuscripts—including works by Cicero and Lucretius—that might otherwise have been lost to history. He is also famous for his extraordinarily beautiful and legible handwriting, which was later developed into roman type, the predecessor of almost all non-italic fonts. Whose handwriting was the basis for italic fonts? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A prisoner...is unfortunate in two ways—because he has done something wrong and because he is deprived of his liberty. Therefore we should treat him kindly, because of his misfortune, for otherwise he would become hard and bitter and would not be sorry he had done wrong.L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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labor under the illusion of/that— To live, operate, or function with the unyielding belief in something, especially that which is fanciful, unrealistic, or untrue. Primarily heard in US. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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.svg.png) Cameroon Youth Day (2021)This national holiday in the west-African nation of Cameroon celebrates the country's young people. School children and youth groups participate in parades, often accompanied by university students in marching bands. Businesses sell food and merchandise along the parade routes. Many schools and youth groups also organize art exhibits and sports activities. The theme of Youth Day is to encourage Cameroon's young people to renounce violence and other unsavory behaviors and to embrace education, sports, and artistic activities. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: idlenesshonky-tonk - May come from the New England dialect word honk, "to idle about," and is a rhyming duplication. More... libberwort - Food or drink that makes one idle and stupid, food of no nutritional value, i.e. junk food. More... ignavia, ignavy - Idleness or sloth can be described as ignavia or ignavy. More... | |