Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, February 23, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
oodles
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Using the Passive VoiceThe passive voice may be used to emphasize the importance of the receiver of the action. How is this different from the active voice? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Cuteness in Japanese CultureCuteness—kawaisa—is a prominent aspect of Japanese popular culture that first emerged in the 1970s, when teenage girls developed a new writing style using big, round characters decorated with hearts, smiley faces, and the like. To capitalize on this growing trend, companies launched cute merchandise lines. Today, cute elements can be found almost everywhere in Japan, as evidenced by the fact that even police departments have cute mascots. How has All Nippon Airways made its planes cuter? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Cuba Leases Guantánamo Bay to the United States (1903)The city of Guantánamo is located in southeast Cuba. Founded in the early 19th century by French colonists from Haiti, it is well known today as the home of the US Guantánamo Bay Naval Base, which has installations covering roughly 45 sq mi (116 sq km). The site was leased to the US in 1903, but the Cuban government has refused since 1960 to accept the token annual rent of $5,000 from the US and has pressured for the surrender of the base. What was established at the base in 2002? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 W.E.B. Du Bois (1868)Du Bois was an early African-American civil rights leader and scholar, as well as the first African American to receive a PhD from Harvard University. He was an outspoken critic of the social inequalities that existed in the US during the early part of the 20th century, and he helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). What led Du Bois to seek Ghanaian citizenship at the age of 95? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Happiness is a monstrosity! Punished are those who seek it.Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
bucket list— A list of accomplishments or tasks one hopes to do or achieve before one dies. "Bucket" here is taken from the phrase "kick the bucket," meaning to die. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 St. Polycarp's Day (2023)St. Polycarp (c. 69-c. 155) was a disciple of St. John the Evangelist. He became bishop of Smyrna in 96 and, when the persecution of Christians was ordered by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, he was condemned to be burned at the stake. But according to legend, the fire formed an arch over his head and his body was left unharmed. When a spear was plunged into his heart, so much blood poured out that it quenched the flames. It was the martyrdom of St. Polycarp that gave rise to one of Christianity's richest traditions: the annual commemoration of the anniversary of a saint's death. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: noisycorroboree - A large, noisy gathering. More... crash - May have been created as an imitation of the sound of noisy breaking, or may be a blend of craze and dash. More... obstreperous - Meaning "clamorous, noisy" and "argumentative," it is from Latin ob-, "against," and strepere, "to make a noise." More... strepent, strepitent - Strepent and strepitent mean "noisy." More... | |