Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, March 23, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
thaumaturge
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Alternative QuestionsAlternative questions are questions that provide a choice among two or more answers. These choices might be explicitly stated in the question (identified by the coordinating conjunction "or"), or they might be implied by the context. What are alternative questions also known as? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Witch BallsA witch ball is a hollow sphere of plain or stained glass that was originally hung in windows to ward off evil spirits, witch's spells, or ill fortune. According to folk tales, the bright colors of witch balls, traditionally green or blue, would entice evil spirits, and strands inside the ball would capture them and prevent them from escaping. The colorful spheres eventually became popular simply as decorative objects. What modern decorations may have been inspired by witch balls? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 First Passenger Elevator Installed (1857)Elevators—in one form or another—have been used to make human life easier since ancient times. They were once just simple hoists but are now incredibly complex mechanical systems. One of the most significant advances came in 1853 with the invention of a safety device to prevent elevators from plummeting in the event of cable failure. Four years later, the first passenger elevator was installed, paving the way for taller buildings and the urban geography of modern cities. Where was it installed? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Emmy Noether (1882)After Noether died, Albert Einstein wrote in a letter to The New York Times that she was "the most significant creative mathematical genius thus far produced since the higher education of women began." Her contributions to abstract algebra and theoretical physics were groundbreaking, evidenced by the inclusion of her name in several concepts, including "Noether's Theorem," "Noetherian module," "Noetherian ring," and "Noetherian induction." Where were her ashes buried? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Wine is a turncoat; first a friend and then an enemy.Henry Fielding (1707-1754) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
let the good times roll— To have as much fun or live life as richly as possible. (Often said as an imperative.) More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Pakistan Day (2021)This national holiday is also known as Republic Day, and it is the anniversary of a 1940 resolution calling for a Muslim country for Muslim Indians. On the same day in 1956, Pakistan became an Islamic republic within the British Commonwealth. Pakistan Day is celebrated with parades and fairs. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: vigorvim, vigor - Vim is the same as vigor. More... bouncing - In bouncing baby, it means "vigorous." More... feckful - Means "efficient, vigorous," or "powerful." More... macho, machismo - Macho is from Mexican Spanish, meaning "male animal or plant" or "masculine, vigorous"—from Latin masculus, "male"; machismo (pronounced mah-CHEEZ-mo) is based on macho. More... | |