Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, March 17, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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The Mixed ConditionalA very commonly used "fifth" conditional is what's known as the "mixed conditional," which is a cross between the third conditional and the second. What are the two ways to form a mixed conditional? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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| This Day in History | |
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 The Richard Riot (1955)Maurice Richard was a star ice-hockey player for the Montreal Canadiens and a hero of the French-Canadian population. After he was involved in a violent confrontation during a game with the Boston Bruins, Richard was suspended for the rest of the season as well as the playoffs. Many fans in Montreal believed the penalty to be overly severe and motivated by prejudice against French-Canadians. At a game just days later, the fans rioted. Who did the mayor of Montreal blame for inciting the riot? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Gottlieb Daimler (1834)The mechanical experiments of German engineer, inventor, and pioneer automobile manufacturer Gottlieb Daimler aroused so much suspicion that, at one point, the police raided his workshop in Stuttgart, Germany, expecting to find a counterfeiting operation. They found only engines, as Daimler had been working on improvements to the internal combustion engine that would play a major role in the development of the automobile industry. He sold his first automobile in 1892. What was his famous motto? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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| Idiom of the Day | |
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Marie Celeste— A place, location, or high-occupancy vehicle (especially a ship) that is inexplicably deserted or abandoned. An allusion to the Mary Celeste, an American merchant brigantine that was discovered floating off the Azores Islands in 1872 with no one on board and still in seaworthy condition. (Note: The variant spelling of "Marie" is the more common usage for the idiomatic reference, likely due to its use in a story by Arthur Conan Doyle.) More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Liberalia (2017)Liber and Libera were ancient Roman fertility deities, worshipped along with Ceres. The triad of Ceres, Liber, and Libera was identified with the Greek deities Demeter, Dionysus, and Persephone. At the festival held in honor of Liber and Libera on March 17, young Roman boys who had come of age wore the toga virilis for the first time. In the ancient Italian town of Lavinium, a whole month was consecrated to Liber. The various rituals carried out during this time were designed to ensure the growth of newly planted seeds. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: oakrambunctious - Once rumbustious and robusteous, it is probably based on Latin robus, "oak"—implying strength—and can describe a person or animal. More... robust - Comes from Latin meaning "oak" and "oaken." More... tan - From a Latin word for "oak," it first referred to the crushed bark of the oak or other trees, especially in its use to convert hides into leather. More... tree - Part of a large Indo-European group based on deru/doru-, "oak." More... | |