Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, June 29, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ferocious
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Zero ConditionalThe zero conditional refers to conditional sentences in which the "if clause" and the main clause both contain conditional verbs that are in the simple present tense. What is the zero conditional used to talk about? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Coin FlippingCoin flipping is the practice of throwing a coin in the air to choose between two alternatives, sometimes to resolve a dispute between two parties. It is a form of sortition that inherently has only two possible and equally likely outcomes. Coin tosses are often used in sporting events to determine certain factors, such as which team will receive the ball first in American football. How did Sigmund Freud say a coin toss could help to clarify one's feelings about a particular decision? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Atlantis Docks with Mir for the First Time (1995)The first in a series of seven docking missions the US Space Shuttle Atlantis flew to the Russian space station Mir, the STS-71 mission was a notable episode in spaceflight history, as it marked the 100th manned space launch by the US and the first ever on-orbit crew change. The five-day docking of the two crafts also marked the creation of the largest spacecraft ever placed into orbit at that time. When linked, Atlantis and Mir had a total mass of how many tonnes? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ludwig August Theodor Beck (1880)A German general, Beck saw the Nazis' rise to power as "the first ray of hope since 1918." However, he soon feared that Germany was not militarily prepared for an attack on Czechoslovakia. He voiced concern to Adolf Hitler directly, and, in 1938, he resigned in protest against the planned attack but was largely ignored. Beck then became a key member of the conspiracy to overthrow Hitler. What happened to Beck after his plan failed to kill Hitler with a bomb on July 20, 1944? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 We are very fond of some families because they can be traced beyond the Conquest, whereas indeed the farther back, the worse, as being the nearer allied to a race of robbers and thieves.Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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good-natured— Of or having a kindly, affable, beneficent, and/or obliging propensity, inclination, or personality. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Seychelles Independence Day (2023)Also known as Republic Day, Seychelles Independence Day is a national holiday that commemorates Seychelles' transition to an independent republic on this day in 1976. It had been a British colony since 1903. Before that, it was a dependency of Mauritius, which was ruled by France. When Seychelles became independent, the people had a three-month-long party. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: hungerfamine, famish - Famine and famish come from Latin fames, "hunger." More... dissatisfied, unsatisfied - Only a person can be dissatisfied, while an abstract thing (such as hunger) can be unsatisfied. More... piece de resistance - The original context for piece de resistance is what one is able to resist by eating the big dish—pangs of hunger. More... | |