Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, April 20, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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maverick
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Forming Compound NounsCompound nouns are formed by combining two or more words, with the most common combinations being noun + noun or adjective + noun. However, combinations using other parts of speech are also possible. What are they? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Blue WhalePerhaps the largest animal to have ever lived, the blue whale can grow to be 100 ft (30.5 m) long and weigh as much as 200 tons. It eats as much as 4 tons of krill a day, and its massive mouth can hold up to 100 tons of food and water, but its throat restricts the passage of anything wider than a beach ball. Once abundant, it was nearly hunted to extinction before being placed under the protection of the international community in 1966. What is the blue whale's only natural predator? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Pasteurization Test Conducted (1862)Pasteurization is the process of heating beverages or food, such as milk, beer, or cheese, to a specific temperature for a specific period of time in order to kill microorganisms that could cause disease, spoilage, or undesired fermentation. The process was named after its creator, French chemist and microbiologist Louis Pasteur, who conducted the first pasteurization test with fellow French scientist Claude Bernard in 1862. Why is pasteurization not designed to kill all microorganisms in food? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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_02.jpg) Harold Lloyd (1893)Famous for his comic portrayals of a wistful innocent with horn-rimmed glasses who blunders in and out of hair-raising situations, American movie actor Harold Lloyd was the most popular film comedian of the 1920s. He appeared in over 500 films, including many shorts, spanning both the silent and sound eras. Noted for his use of physical danger as a source of comedy, he performed his own stunts, famously hanging from the hands of a clock far above the street in an iconic scene from what film? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Our fear of death is like our fear that summer will be short, but when we have had our swing of pleasure, our fill of fruit, and our swelter of heat, we say we have had our day.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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explore every avenue— To investigate or pursue every possible means to find a solution to a given problem or to achieve a desired outcome. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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.jpg) National Poetry Month (2023)Established by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, this month-long event centers attention on the contributions and accomplishments of American poets. It is celebrated primarily by educational institutions, libraries, bookstores, and nonprofit organizations throughout the United States and Canada, and its activities include poetry readings, poetry festivals, displays and exhibits, workshops, and other events designed to help Americans of all ages learn more about poetry and its place in our contemporary culture. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: troopssquadron - Borrowed from Italian squadrone, from Latin quadrare, "square"; the sense of "military group" comes from an earlier "square formation of troops." More... campaign - First meant an open tract of land, from Latin campus, "level ground," and the change to a military meaning came from troops "taking the field"—moving from fortress or town to open country—from which the political sense evolved, referring to the organized efforts of office-seekers to sway public opinion or influence their vote at an upcoming election. More... echelon - Comes from French echelle, "ladder," from Latin scala, and first meant a formation of troops. More... corporal - Its military meaning came from "the head of a body of troops," from French caporale. More... | |