Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, February 13, 2023)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
milium
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
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 | |
|---|---|
 West Nile VirusWest Nile virus is mainly found in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, and typically infects birds. Mosquitoes that have fed on infected birds can then transmit the disease to humans. About one-fifth of humans infected with the virus develop West Nile fever, which is sometimes accompanied by a rash. Less than one percent of all persons infected develop serious illnesses like encephalitis and meningitis. West Nile virus was first identified in Uganda in 1937. When did it reach the US? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Last Original Peanuts Strip Is Printed (2000)With 355 million readers in 75 countries at the peak of its popularity, Charles Schulz's Peanuts is one of the most beloved comic strips in the history of the medium. Among its principal characters are Charlie Brown, a gentle, puzzled boy, usually failing but always persevering; Lucy, his bossy, know-it-all friend; Linus, a philosophical tyke with a security blanket; and Snoopy, a romantic, self-deluded beagle. When Schulz created the strip in 1950, it had a different title. What was it? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 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 | |
|---|---|
 Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
beauty queen— A woman who has won, or looks as if she could win, a beauty pageant. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 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 | |
|---|---|
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... | |