Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, July 12, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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neologism
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Compound NounsA compound noun consists of two or more words (usually two nouns or an adjective and a noun) functioning as a single unit to name a person, place, or thing. What are the three written forms of compound nouns? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 ImhotepImhotep was an Egyptian polymath who lived in the 27th century BCE and served as chief minister to the Egyptian king Djoser. He is remembered as a skilled physician, sage, and astrologer, as well as the architect of the step-pyramid at Saqqara, the first pyramid ever constructed. He was deified around the time of the Persian conquest in 525 BCE, and his cult reached its zenith in Greco-Roman times, when he was linked to Asclepius. He may have been the first to use what structure in architecture? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 French National Assembly Adopts Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1790)The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was an act passed during the French Revolution that subordinated the Roman Catholic Church to the state. Under the act, citizens would elect clergymen and the state would pay their wages. When the National Assembly ordered the clergy to take an oath supporting the Civil Constitution, many refused. The resulting schism within the French church caused many Catholics to turn against the Revolution. What effect did the constitution have on monastic orders? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Milton Berle (1908)Berle was an American comedian and the first major US television star. He began acting in vaudeville at age 10 and went on to perform in more than 50 silent films, on radio, and as a nightclub comedian. His great success, however, was as the host of NBC's Texaco Star Theater, which earned him the nickname "Mr. Television." He contributed significantly to the medium's growing popularity, and many are said to have bought TV sets just to watch "Uncle Miltie." How did he get that nickname? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The power of doing anything with quickness is always prized much by the possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance.Jane Austen (1775-1817) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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800-pound gorilla— A person, group, or organization so powerful (either by size or by influence) that it does not need to heed the rules or threats of others. It refers to the riddle "Where does an 800-pound gorilla sit?" (Answer: "Wherever it likes.") Primarily heard in US. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Kiribati Independence Day (2019)This island group in the middle of the Pacific Ocean was known as the Gilbert Islands until its independence from Britain on July 12, 1979. Independence Day is observed as a national holiday. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: highesttop note - The highest in a piece of music or in a singer's vocal range. More... paramount, tantamount - Paramount means "primary, top," and tantamount means "equivalent to, same as"; paramount first meant "highest in jurisdiction." More... prime - Unusual since it can have virtually opposite meanings: "preliminary, basic" or "lowest"—as well as "finest" and "highest." More... supreme - Ultimately from Latin supra, "above," which begat supremus, "highest." More... | |