Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, May 5, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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marionette
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Comparative AdverbsComparative adverbs, like comparative adjectives, are used to describe differences and similarities between two things. Comparative adverbs and comparative adjectives sometimes have the same form. However, even when the forms are the same, how can we tell the difference between the two? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Hollow Earth TheoryPopularized by adventure, fantasy, and sci-fi literature, Hollow Earth theories advance the notion that Earth has a hollow interior and, possibly, a habitable inner surface. Although direct knowledge of Earth's structure extends only 15 m (24 km) down—the deepest humans have ever drilled—the Hollow Earth hypothesis has long been refuted by the modern understanding of planet formation. However, in ancient times, subterranean realms seemed plausible and became linked with what religious concepts? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Grand Opening of New York City's Carnegie Hall (1891)Carnegie Hall has long been the most famous concert hall in the US. Admired for its beauty and superb acoustics, it was designed in a Neo-Italian Renaissance style by architect William Burnet Tuthill and was endowed by industrialist Andrew Carnegie at the insistence of conductor Walter Damrosch. Pyotr Tchaikovsky was the guest of honor at its opening. The venue was slated for demolition in the 1950s but was saved by a public outcry. What was it called before it was named after Carnegie in 1893? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Eugénia María de Montijo de Guzmán (1826)The daughter of a Spanish noble, Eugénia married Napoleon III in 1853 and became the empress of France. She took an active role in the politics of the Second Empire, acting as regent when her husband was at war. She also encouraged French opposition to a Prussian candidate for the Spanish throne in the controversy that precipitated the Franco-Prussian War. Deposed after Napoleon's defeat and capture, she fled and settled in England. Why was her marriage to Napoleon controversial? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I dare say I am compelled, unconsciously compelled, now to write volume after volume, as in past years I was compelled to go to sea, voyage after voyage. Leaves must follow upon each other as leagues used to follow in the days gone by, on and on to the appointed end, which, being truth itself, is one—one for all men and for all occupations.Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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dead of night— The middle of the night. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Ethiopia Patriots' Victory Day (2019)Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia made a grand entrance into the capital city, Addis Ababa, on May 5, 1941, to mark the end of the Italian occupation. Exactly five years earlier, the Italians had initiated a period of occupation. However, the intervention of British forces and other Allies, as well as the heroics of Ethiopian patriots, helped preserve Ethiopia's independence. In Addis Ababa, government leaders, diplomats, patriot associations, and city residents turn out to honor veterans who fought in the resistance movement between 1935 and 1941. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: strivecompete - Comes from Latin competere, "come together," but in later Latin, it developed the sense "strive together," which was the basis for the English term. More... repugn, repugnant - Repugn means "to strive against" or "be contradictory or inconsistent," giving us repugnant. More... strive - Seems to be from Old French estriver, "quarrel, strive." More... win - Its Germanic base gave it its first meaning, "to labor, strive, work." More... | |