Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, March 27, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Starting Sentences with Subordinating ConjunctionsWhile it's a commonly quoted belief that a sentence should not begin with the word "because," this is not an actual grammatical rule. Sentences can begin with "because" (and any other subordinating conjunction) as long as the sentence is not what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Wilhelm ScreamOften used when a character is plummeting to his death, the Wilhelm scream is a stock sound effect that has been featured in over a hundred films, television shows, and video games since it was first used in the 1951 film Distant Drums. The tradition of inserting the sound into films began when Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt tracked down the original recording—a studio reel labeled "man being eaten by alligator"—and named the sound effect after whom? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Good Friday Earthquake near Anchorage, Alaska (1964)With a magnitude of 9.2, the earthquake that struck east of Anchorage at rush hour on Good Friday 1964 was one of the strongest ever recorded. About 130 people died, most in the subsequent tsunami, and much of downtown Anchorage was destroyed. The quake's effects were felt around the world—boats were sunk as far away as the Gulf of Mexico. Within a day, 11 aftershocks measuring 6.0 or higher were reported. In the months after, residents endured thousands of smaller ones. How long did they last? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Nathaniel Currier (1813)Before photojournalism rendered illustrations of the news obsolete, Currier printed more than 7,000 lithographs—prints made using a stone block etched with grease to reproduce drawings—that greatly increased the public demand for graphic images. With his partner James Ives, he established outlets across the country, selling high-quality prints of disasters, landscapes, satirical subjects, and domestic scenes. Ives was neither a lithographer nor an artist, so why did Currier make him his partner? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Live, and be happy, and make others so.Mary Shelley (1797-1851) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have more than one string to (one's) bow— To have multiple viable options or alternatives available in the event that the current course of action, circumstance, opportunity, etc., does not work out. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Myanmar Armed Forces Day (2023)Throughout most of the 1800s, the Union of Myanmar, known as Burma until 1989, was ruled by the British. Aung San, an outspoken student leader, helped the Japanese oust the British, and the Japanese ruled Burma from 1942 until 1945. On March 27, 1945, he helped the World War II Allied forces remove the Japanese from power. Myanmar celebrates Armed Forces Day on March 27 to commemorate the day that Aung San rebelled against the Japanese. The day is celebrated with a military parade and fireworks. Since 1989, the Tatmadaw has made it a tradition to pardon several prisoners on this day. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: mashbangers and mash - Sausage and mashed potatoes. More... farrago - From Latin, originally "a mash for feeding cattle"; later, figuratively, a medley or hodgepodge. More... mash - Originally malt mixed with hot water, to make wort. More... mush, moosh - Mush and moosh (nouns) are variations on mash. More... | |