Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, February 13, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using "Could" to Ask for PermissionWhen we ask someone for permission to do something, it is often considered more polite to use "could" instead of "can." However, we can only make this substitution in what situation? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Goseck CircleHailed as "the German Stonehenge," the Goseck circle is a Neolithic structure in Goseck, Germany. It is the oldest such structure known today, built about 7,000 years ago—and pre-dating Stonehenge by almost 2,000 years. Rediscovered during an aerial survey in 1991, the site consists of a circular ditch 246 feet (75 m) across surrounding two concentric palisade rings with gates in spots aligned with the sunrise and sunset on the winter solstice. When was the Goseck Circle re-opened to the public? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Massacre of Glencoe (1692)Following the deposition of King James II in 1689 and the accession of William III, some Scottish clans fought—and failed—to restore James to the throne. In 1691, William offered to pardon all Highland clans that took an oath of allegiance to him before January 1, 1692. The MacDonald clan of Glencoe missed the deadline by six days, and for this they paid with their lives. The unsuspecting MacDonalds were massacred in their homes by soldiers that had arrived seeking shelter how many days earlier? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Peter Gabriel (1950)Gabriel is an English singer and songwriter who first rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flutist of the progressive rock group Genesis. In the 1970s and 80s, he became an influential solo artist, producing music videos with groundbreaking special effects and writing the soundtrack for Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ. What song did Gabriel perform at the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Torino, Italy, on February 10, 2006? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 One must be poor to know the luxury of giving.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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beauty queen— A woman who has won, or looks as if she could win, a beauty pageant. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Parentalia (2023)This was an ancient Roman festival held in honor of the manes, or souls of the dead—in particular, deceased relatives. It began a season for remembering the dead, which ended with the Feralia on February 21. This week was a quiet, serious occasion, without the rowdiness that characterized other Roman festivals. Everything, including the temples, closed down, and people decorated graves with flowers and left food—sometimes elaborate banquets—in the cemeteries in the belief that it would be eaten by the spirits of the deceased. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: navelomphalos - From the Greek word meaning "navel"—for the round stone in the temple of Apollo at Delphi supposed to mark the center of the earth—it describes the center, heart, or hub of a place, organization, or sphere of activity. More... omphaloskepsis - Contemplation of one's navel as an aid to meditation. More... navel, umbilicus, belly button, omphalodium - The navel is also the umbilicus, belly button, or omphalodium; navel and umbilicus share the same Indo-European root. More... | |