Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, April 22, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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purchasable
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Idioms that End with "Off"Many idioms end with the preposition "off." Some examples include "drop off" and "take off." What are some others? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Zanj RebellionAt the height of the Abbasid Empire, thousands of East Africans, known as Zanj, were transported as slaves to work in the salt marshes near the town of Basra, in what is now southern Iraq. Led by Ali ibn Muhammad, the exploited Zanj—free and enslaved alike—rebelled in 869 CE. They successfully raided towns and villages and even expanded north and established a capital. It took 15 years for the Abbasids to suppress the revolt, in part because they were also struggling with what other group? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Oklahoma Land Rush (1889)On April 22, 1889, some 50,000 people lined up to grab a piece of the 2 million acres (8,000 sq km) being made available by the US government in the first land run into the Unassigned Lands, later known as the state of Oklahoma. Each settler could claim a lot of up to 160 acres (0.65 sq km). A number of participants illegally entered and hid in the area before the run officially began at noon in order to quickly claim the choicest homesteads. What did the early entrants come to be known as? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Immanuel Kant (1724)Kant was a German metaphysician who shook the foundations of Western philosophy. In his Critique of Pure Reason, Kant proposed that objective reality is known only insofar as it conforms to the essential structure of the knowing mind and that things beyond experience are unknowable. He thus concluded that the existence of God, freedom, and immortality can be neither affirmed nor denied on theoretical grounds. His system of ethics is based the "categorical imperative," which is what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Girls are so queer you never know what they mean. They say No when they mean Yes, and drive a man out of his wits for the fun of it.Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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fair-weather fan— A person who is supportive of and enthusiastic about a sports team only when that team is performing well. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Oklahoma Day (2023)The Land Run of April 22, 1889, paved the way for the organization of the Oklahoma Territory in 1890, and for Oklahoma's statehood in 1907. Also known as Oklahoma 89ers Day, the celebration on April 22 focuses on the town of Guthrie, the site of the original land office about 80 miles from the starting border, and each year Guthrie observes its anniversary with an 89ers festival. Elsewhere in Oklahoma, the day is celebrated with parades, rodeos, and events based on the land rush theme. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: unexpectedvisit, visitation - A visit is an instance of visiting; a visitation is an act of visiting, and carries the connotation of an unexpected or undesired occurrence. More... October surprise - An unexpected, but popular, political act made just prior to a November election, in an attempt to win votes. More... off the wall - Alludes to squash or handball, when a shot comes off the wall at an unexpected or erratic angle. More... wrong-foot - To disconcert by doing something unexpected. More... | |