Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, April 27, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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upstart
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Auxiliary Verbs - ShouldThe modal verb "should" is used in a variety of ways, including to politely express obligations or duties and to ask for or issue advice. Why is "should" sometimes used instead of "will" or "shall"? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Bat BombsDuring WWII, a dentist named Lytle Adams proposed a new method of aerial attack to the US military: the bat bomb. The plan called for containers filled with hundreds of bats fitted with small incendiary devices to be dropped over Japanese cities at dawn, a time when the nocturnal creatures would be inclined to find somewhere to roost. Shortly thereafter, the timed devices would detonate, creating widespread fires and chaos. How was his proposal received by government and military officials? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 US President Abraham Lincoln Suspends Habeas Corpus (1861)In law, habeas corpus is a writ ordering that a person be brought before a judge, especially to decide whether a prisoner's detention is lawful. Its suspension means that prisoners can be held indefinitely without being charged. During the US Civil War, President Lincoln suspended habeas corpus to arrest and silence Southern dissenters. A legal battle ensued, and Lincoln prevailed. Habeas corpus has been suspended numerous times in US history, most recently in what year? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ulysses S. Grant (1822)Though he served with bravery in the Mexican-American War, Grant resigned his post several years later, possibly due to his heavy drinking. However, he returned to serve in the US Civil War and won a string of brilliant victories. Three years after Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered to him, ending the war, Grant was elected president. Still, he spent his final years in poverty after being swindled by a friend. Days before his death, he did what to secure his family's finances? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Nothing exists; all is a dream. God—man—the world—the sun, the moon, the wilderness of stars—a dream, all a dream; they have no existence. Nothing exists save empty space—and you!...And you are not you—you have no body, no blood, no bones, you are but a thought.Mark Twain (1835-1910) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have the heart (to do something)— To be hard hearted, callous, or unsympathetic (enough to do something); to have the emotional resolve (to do something). Usually used in the negative. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Seville Fair (Feria de Abril) (2020)Over the past century, the Seville Fair, also known as the April Fair, has developed into one of Spain's major spectacles. Originally a market for livestock, the fair with its multi-colored tents, wreaths, and paper lanterns now transforms the city of Seville. The singing, dancing, and drinking go on for a week, and a sense of joyousness pervades the city. The week's activities include a parade of riders and a number of bullfights held in the Plaza de la Maestranza—now considered the "cathedral" of bullfighting. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pupileleve - A French term used for a pupil or scholar. More... indocible - Means unteachable as a pupil. More... pupil - From Latin pupilla, it first meant "orphan, ward, minor." More... apple of his eye - Results from the fact that the pupil of the eye was called the "apple" in earlier English because it was thought to be a solid sphere. More... | |