Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, March 4, 2025)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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fetter
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Negative Adverbs and InversionNegative adverbs are often placed in the middle of a sentence, but it's also very common for negative adverbs to appear at the beginning of a sentence. When we place the negative adverb at the beginning of the sentence, we must use inversion. What does that mean? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Kalahari DesertThe Kalahari Desert is an arid to semi-arid desert area that extends over 362,500 sq mi (900,000 sq km), forming most of Botswana and extending into Namibia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. Although its name is likely derived from words meaning "great thirst" or "a waterless place," the Kalahari is not a true desert. In fact, some areas receive erratic rainfall and are well vegetated, and the region is home to a number of animals. What is sand mining, and how does it impact the Kalahari's wildlife? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Charlie Chaplin Is Knighted (1975)Though he spent most of his career in the US, British-born silent-film legend Charlie Chaplin never applied for citizenship. The US took advantage of this fact in 1952, while Chaplin was overseas, revoking his re-entry permit over his alleged Communist ties. His political leanings, as well as his many affairs with young women, nearly cost him a knighthood, but after decades of debate, he was finally knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. What was stolen from Chaplin's grave shortly after his death? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Miriam Makeba (1932)Nicknamed "Mama Africa," Makeba was a Grammy Award-winning singer and activist. In 1963, after she testified against apartheid before the UN, South Africa revoked her citizenship and right to return to the country. She settled in the US, where her musical career flourished, then moved to Guinea after being criticized for marrying a Black Panther. She remained in exile for 30 years, finally returning to her homeland in 1990 at the end of apartheid. Why did she spend six months in jail as a baby? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Bashfulness is an ornament to youth, but a reproach to old age.Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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catch (the) headlines— To be featured on the headlines of news articles, as due to being particularly important, popular, fashionable, etc. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Omizutori Matsuri (2025)Omizutori Matsuri is marked by religious rites that have been observed for 12 centuries at the Buddhist Todaiji Temple in the city of Nara, Japan. During this period of meditative rituals in the first two weeks of March, the drone of recited sutras and the sound of blowing conchs echo from the temple. On March 12, young monks on the temple gallery brandish burning pine-branches, shaking off burning pieces. Spectators below try to catch the sparks, believing they have magic power against evil. On March 13, the ceremony of drawing water is observed to the accompaniment of ancient music. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: polessedan chair - An enclosed chair carried on poles. More... oblate, prolate - Oblate means "flattened at the poles," and the opposite is prolate; the Earth is an oblate spheroid. More... tent - Comes from a Latin word for "stretch," as early tents were made from cloth or skins stretched on poles. More... running boards - Originally extended from bow to stern on canal boats—which men walked along, propelling the boats with poles. More... | |