Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, April 23, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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dilettante
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Adjectives of AgeAdjectives of age can describe how old a person, place, or thing is. Why do we have to be careful with adjectives of age? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 ShamanismShamanism is premised on the belief that the visible world is pervaded by invisible spirits that affect the lives of the living. Intermediaries known as shamans are believed to have contact with these forces and to be able to cure illness, foretell the future, and control natural events. Some societies distinguish shamans who cure from sorcerers who harm, while others believe that all shamans have both curative and deadly powers. What methods do shamans use to make contact with the spirit world? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Oldest Free Public School Opened in the US (1635)The Boston Latin School in Massachusetts, originally a school for boys that had just a handful of students, is now a coeducational institution serving more than 2,000 youngsters. It has the distinction of being the oldest public school in the US and claims many influential Bostonians as alumni, including four Harvard University presidents, four Massachusetts governors, and five signers of the Declaration of Independence. Who are the school's most famous dropouts? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Roy Orbison (1936)Roy Orbison was an influential American singer-songwriter and rock-and-roll pioneer whose career spanned more than three decades. He had a string of hits during the early-1960s, such as "Only the Lonely" and "Oh, Pretty Woman," after which his career waned, driven in part by a series of personal tragedies. He made a comeback in the 1980s, forming a supergroup with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, and Tom Petty called the Traveling Wilburys. What was Orbison rarely seen in public without? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is not down in any map; true places never are.Herman Melville (1819-1891) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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fall off the back of a truck— Of goods or merchandise, to be acquired by illegal or dubious means; to come into (someone's) possession without being paid for. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Turkey National Sovereignty and Children's Day (2023)This festival was started in 1920 by Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, who recognized how important children were to his country's future and dedicated this day to them. On this national public holiday, Atatürk is honored with special services in Ankara, Turkey's capital city, at the monument built for him. Afterward, a children's program takes place in which children from around the world wear festive traditional costumes and dance and sing. In Istanbul, a similar celebration is held in the national soccer stadium. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: insertiongraft, splice - A graft is one thing attached to another by insertion or implantation so it becomes part of it; a splice is the joining of two things end-to-end to make a new whole. More... pilot hole - A small hole drilled or hammered for the insertion of a nail or screw, or for drilling a larger hole. More... punctuate, punctuation - Punctuate—which first meant "point out"—and punctuation are from Latin punctus, "prick, point"; the present-day meaning comes from the insertion of "points" or dots into written texts to indicate pauses (once called "pointing"). More... insert, insertion - The Latin elements in- and serere, "to join, plant," are part of insert and insertion. More... | |