Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, February 28, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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inebriate
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining ParticiplesParticiples are words formed from verbs that can function as adjectives or gerunds. Participles can also be used to form which verb tenses? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The South Sea BubbleThe South Sea Bubble was one of the earliest modern financial crises. It involved the South Sea Company, which was established in 1711 by the lord treasurer of England and was expected to be extremely profitable. Touting exclusive trading rights with Spanish South America, it sparked wild speculation that rocketed its share price to £1,000 in August 1720. The following month, it collapsed. Thousands were ruined—including many members of the government. What was the company's true purpose? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 DuPont Scientist Wallace Carothers Invents Nylon (1935)Though his struggles with mental illness made him initially reject a lucrative job with DuPont, chemist Wallace Carothers accepted the offer in the late 1920s and enjoyed much success there. Perhaps his greatest achievement was the invention of nylon, which rapidly gained widespread use in an array of products. First used to make toothbrush bristles, nylon was soon replacing silk in the parachutes and flak vests of American WWII combatants and in women's stockings. How did nylon get its name? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Linus Carl Pauling (1901)An American chemist, Pauling was the first person to win two unshared Nobel Prizes: one for chemistry in 1954 and one for peace in 1962. He was one of the first to study molecular structure using quantum mechanics, and he made discoveries in biochemistry and medicine. In the 1950s, he became concerned about nuclear weapons testing and radioactive fallout and wrote an appeal—signed by thousands of scientists—to halt such tests. What publication called his peace prize "A Weird Insult from Norway"? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It's so easy to be wicked without knowing it, isn't it?Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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hangdog look— A self-pitying expression of abjection, defeat, shame, or guilt. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Marzas (2020)On the last night of February and the first of March in Spain, young marceros, or March serenaders, wander through the streets singing songs to their girlfriends and asking for donations of food and sweets to celebrate the arrival of spring. The term marzas refers both to the traditional songs they sing and to the gifts they receive. Although the songs themselves vary, they always mention the month of March and the coming of spring, leading many to believe that the tradition has its roots in pagan rituals celebrating the passing of winter. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: scrapeerase - From Latin e-, "out," and radere, "scrape." More... raze, razor - Raze, from French raser, "shave close," is from Latin radere, "scrape, scratch"—also giving us razor. More... gride - To scratch, scrape, or cut with a grating sound. More... scrumble - To scrape or scratch (something) out of or from. More... | |