Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, April 13, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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wallop
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using "Might"The modal verb "might" is most often used to express an unlikely or uncertain possibility. "Might" is also used to very formally or politely ask for permission. In what situation is "might" used as the past-tense form of "may"? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Jean DuvetBorn in 1485, Duvet was a French engraver and goldsmith. His most famous works are two dozen engravings in a series depicting scenes from the biblical Apocalypse. Published in 1561, the engravings do not depict space or proportion realistically. Rather, they have a distinctive style that is crowded, urgent, and intense, as every available space is filled with detail. Duvet, whose printmaking style is often compared to that of William Blake, began his career copying prints by what artists? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Jallianwala Bagh Massacre (1919)Named for the enclosed park where it took place, the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre occurred in India on April 13, 1919, when British troops under the command of General Reginald Dyer opened fire without warning on a crowd of roughly 10,000 Indians protesting the arrest of two Indian National Congress leaders. At least 379 demonstrators were killed and another 1,200 were wounded during the barrage, which is said to have lasted 10 minutes. Who was killed 21 years later in retribution for the massacre? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Butch Cassidy (1866)Born Robert LeRoy Parker, Butch Cassidy was a notorious outlaw who began robbing trains and cattle rustling in the mid-1880s. By 1900, he had partnered with Harry Longabaugh—the "Sundance Kid," whose nickname was derived from the name of a town where he had once been imprisoned. They became the foremost members of the Wild Bunch, a notorious group of bank and train robbers. The two evaded US authorities by escaping to South America, where they continued their criminal pursuits. How did they die? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 What have wealth or grandeur to do with happiness?Jane Austen (1775-1817) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have (something) down cold— To learn, master, or understand something perfectly, to the point of requiring little or no focus to do, recall, or accomplish it. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Jefferson's Birthday (2023)Unique among American presidents, Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) was not only a statesman but a scholar, linguist, writer, philosopher, political theorist, architect, engineer, and farmer. In the United States, he is remembered primarily as the author in 1776 of the Declaration of Independence; he died on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration. A birthday commemoration is held each year at Monticello, Jefferson's home in Virginia, as well as at the Jefferson Memorial on the Mall in Washington, D.C. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: lightsday - One of the perpendicular divisions or "lights" of a mullioned window. More... blackout - Originally a theatrical term for the extinguishing of all lights on the stage when scenery was shifted. More... taps, last post - Taps, the bugle call for lights out, was originally a drum roll and got its name from the tapping of the drums; taps are also called last post. More... twilight - The time of two lights, the fading sunset and the emerging light of the moon and stars; there are three sequential stages of twilight: civil twilight, nautical twilight, and astronomical twilight. More... | |