Daily Content Archive

(as of Saturday, October 5, 2019)
Word of the Day

antimicrobial

Definition:(noun) An agent (as heat or radiation or a chemical) that destroys microorganisms that might carry disease.
Synonyms:disinfectant, germicide
Usage: Karen attempts to avoid getting sick by scrubbing her hands several times a day with a potent antimicrobial.
Daily Grammar Lesson

Primary Auxiliary Verbs

The "primary" auxiliary verbs are "be," "have," and "do"—they occur most commonly in English. What is the emphatic "do"? More...
Article of the Day

The Taiping Rebellion

Perhaps the most important event in 19th-century China, the Taiping Rebellion was a large-scale revolt against the Qing dynasty. The rebellion was led by Hong Xiuquan, a self-proclaimed visionary who garnered many followers among the poorer classes, who were discontented with the government after having suffered floods and famines in the late 1840s. The rebels captured Nanjing in 1853 and made it their capital but were later defeated. The rebellion resulted in how many millions of deaths? More...
This Day in History

The March on Versailles (1789)

During the French Revolution, 6,000 knife-wielding fishwives and their husbands marched to the Palace of Versailles, gleefully singing songs about killing Marie Antoinette, whom they blamed for recent bread shortages. They broke into the palace early the next morning and beheaded two royal guards. The queen, her children, and her attendants hid in the king's bedchamber while a large crowd gathered in the courtyard outside, demanding an audience. Aside from food, what did they demand of the king? More...
Today's Birthday

Denis Diderot (1713)

Enormously influential in shaping the rationalistic spirit of the 18th century, Diderot was a French encyclopedist, philosopher, novelist, dramatist, and art critic. After rejecting a career in law to pursue his own studies, he served as chief editor of the 35-volume Encyclopédie, one of the principal works of the Enlightenment, from 1745 to 1772. The controversial project was once the target of a seizure by government officials. Where were the manuscripts said to have been hidden? More...
Quotation of the Day
You, who are blessed with shade as well as light, you, who are gifted with two eyes, endowed with a knowledge of perspective, and charmed with the enjoyment of various colors, you, who can actually see…the Three Dimensions—how shall I make clear to you the extreme difficulty which we in Flatland experience in recognizing one another's configuration?

Edwin Abbott (1838-1926)

Idiom of the Day

have (something) on

To be busy or engaged with something; to have plans to do something at a particular point in time. More...
Today's Holiday

Fiestas de Octubre (October Feasts) (2023)

The October Feasts have been held every year in the city of Guadalajara in the state of Jalisco, Mexico, since 1965. Throughout the month, residents and visitors enjoy a variety of cultural events that celebrate local and international culture, including opera, jazz and other musical performances, art exhibits, folk dances, ballet, theater, and food. Attendees can also find amusement park rides, bungee jumping, and a haunted house billed as "one of the largest in Latin America." More...
Word Trivia

Today's topic: measured

Apgar score - A measure of a baby's well-being taking into consideration respiratory effort, skin color, heart rate, muscle tone, and sense of smell (named for American anesthesiologist Virginia Apgar). More...

datum line - The horizontal or base line, from which the heights of points are reckoned or measured, as in the plan of a railway, etc. More...

scantling - Means "measured or prescribed size" or a "set of standard dimensions." More...

military time - Time measured on a 24-hour scale of 0100-2400 hours. More...

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