Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, January 5, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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The Past Simple in Negative SentencesNegative sentences in the past simple tense tell the reader what did not happen. To form negative sentences in the past simple tense, what must we use before the main verb of the sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Herero and Namaqua GenocideIn the early 20th century, Germany claimed territory in what is now Namibia and colonized the land as German South-West Africa. From 1904 to 1907, the Germans quashed rebellions by the native Herero and Nama tribes by driving them into the desert. Approximately 65,000 Herero and 10,000 Nama—80 percent and 50 percent of their populations, respectively—died in what is perhaps the earliest attempt at genocide in the 20th century. When did Germany officially apologize for the massacre? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Construction Begins on California's Golden Gate Bridge (1933)For 27 years after its completion in 1937, the Golden Gate Bridge had the longest main span in the world, stretching 4,200 ft (1,280 m). Its four-year construction, supervised by chief engineer Joseph B. Strauss, faced many difficulties, including rapidly running tides, frequent storms and fogs, and the problem of blasting rock under deep water to plant earthquake-resistant foundations. Considered a modern wonder, the bridge spans the Golden Gate, a strait that links what two bodies of water? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Alvin Ailey, Jr. (1931)American choreographer and dancer Alvin Ailey, Jr., formed his own company, the American Dance Theater—now called the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater—in 1958. Multiracial since 1963, Ailey's dance company has been internationally acclaimed and has brought recognition to many African-American and Asian dancers. His works, influenced by jazz, Afro-Caribbean, and modern dance, explore a wide range of black experience, from gospel music to social inequality. What is his most popular work? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I shall be like that tree,—I shall die at the top.Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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look on the sunny side (of life/things)— To view one's life, situation, or circumstances with a generally optimistic and cheerful attitude; to focus on what is positive in life. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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.jpg) Víspera de Día de los Tres Reyes (Eve of Three Kings Day) (2025)Throughout most of Latin America and Spain, Epiphany is called el Día de los Tres Reyes (Three Kings Day). In Mexico, on the night of January 5, children stuff their shoes with hay and leave them out for the Wise Men to fill with sweets and gifts—much as children elsewhere leave their Christmas stockings out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve. And just as letters to Santa are a popular custom in the United States, Mexican children often write letters to the Magi (the Three Wise Men), listing their good deeds and suggesting what gifts they would like to receive. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: removalbeheadment - The removal of an initial letter of a word to form a new word (e.g. blather becomes lather). More... curtailment - The removal of the last letter of a word to leave another word (e.g. goon becomes goo). More... detail - Comes from French de-, "removal," and tailler, "cut in pieces," and means "to relate or describe minutely." More... water softening - The removal of calcium and magnesium ions from water, or their replacement with sodium, either by chemical reaction or by ion exchange. More... | |