Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, March 17, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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coronal
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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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 Lewis ChessmenIn 1831, dozens of intricately detailed chess pieces—enough to form several sets—were found buried in the sand on Scotland's Isle of Lewis. They had been carved from walrus ivory in the 12th century. Apparently unused, they may have been the stock of a merchant who buried them after a mishap at sea. Their origin and intended destination are unknown. The rooks are depicted not as castles, but as berserkers. Instead of white and black, the pieces may have been white and what other color? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Veder Snaps Pulitzer Prize-Winning Burst of Joy (1973)Taken at the end of the Vietnam War, Slava "Sal" Veder's Burst of Joy became a symbol of the widespread sentiment in America that the horrors of war were over and military families could begin the healing process. The photo captures the return home of Lt. Col. Robert Stirm, who had been shot down over North Vietnam and held as a prisoner of war for over five years. It shows his children running to greet him on the tarmac, his daughter with open arms. Why was the reunion bittersweet? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Robert Tyre "Bobby" Jones, Jr. (1902)A practicing attorney, Jones was only an amateur golfer, yet in 1930 he became the only man to win four major golf championships in a single year and the only sports figure to be honored with two New York City ticker-tape parades. At 28, he had already won 13 major championships. He was hailed for his sportsmanship when he lost a major tournament by one stroke after calling a penalty on himself for an infraction that no one else saw. What was the infraction, and what tournament did he lose? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Best to live lightly, unthinkingly.Sophocles (496 BC-406 BC) | |
| 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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 St. Patrick's Day Parade (Savannah, Georgia) (2025)This parade is one of the oldest and biggest parades in the US, held since 1824 in Savannah, Georgia, a city with a long Irish history. The first public procession was recorded in 1824, and public parades have been held ever since. Today, the parade, which follows a route through the city's historic district, comprises between 200 and 300 separate units, including family groups, commercial floats, high school bands, and military bands and marching units. The day begins with Mass at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: mysteriousarcane - Meaning "hidden, secret; mysterious, abstruse," it is from Latin arcere, "shut up," from arca, "chest." More... god moves in a mysterious way, the worse for wear, variety is the spice of life - "God moves in a mysterious way" originated with poet William Cowper—as did the phrases "the worse for wear" and "variety is the spice of life." More... handwriting on the wall, writing on the wall - Handwriting on the wall (or writing on the wall) comes from the Bible (Daniel 5:5-31), in which the prophet interprets some mysterious writing that a disembodied hand has inscribed on the palace wall, telling King Belshazzar that he will be overthrown. More... fluence - To put the fluence on is to use one's mysterious, magical, or hypnotic power. More... | |