Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, April 21, 2025)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Grammatical PersonGrammatical person refers to the degree of involvement of a participant in an action, event, or circumstance. There are three degrees of grammatical person: first person (the speaker), second person (someone being spoken to), and third person (anyone/anything not being directly addressed). How does grammatical person affect verbs? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Blue WhalePerhaps the largest animal to have ever lived, the blue whale can grow to be 100 ft (30.5 m) long and weigh as much as 200 tons. It eats as much as 4 tons of krill a day, and its massive mouth can hold up to 100 tons of food and water, but its throat restricts the passage of anything wider than a beach ball. Once abundant, it was nearly hunted to extinction before being placed under the protection of the international community in 1966. What is the blue whale's only natural predator? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 World's Fair Starts in Seattle, Washington (1962)Hosted at the dawn of the Space Age, the 1962 World's Fair featured a glittering array of futuristic technology. Nearly 10 million people came to see the new cars and gadgets or ride to the top of the new Space Needle. While its technology was advanced, the fair anticipated none of the social changes soon to come—the society of the future looked like that of 1950s, but with gyrocopters. Why did US President John F. Kennedy lie, claiming to be too sick to attend the closing ceremony? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 John Muir (1838)Once an aspiring industrial engineer, US conservationist John Muir devoted himself to nature after losing an eye in an 1867 factory accident. That year, he walked from Indiana to the Gulf of Mexico, a journey of about 1,000 mi (1,600 km). He then moved to California and spent much of the next 12 years traveling and writing about nature. He promoted the idea of national forest preserves and helped establish Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. What four items did he take on his backcountry hikes? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Our fear of death is like our fear that summer will be short, but when we have had our swing of pleasure, our fill of fruit, and our swelter of heat, we say we have had our day.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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(as) nice as ninepence— Very tidy, neat, and well-organized; in good order. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Inconfidência Week (2025)The Inconfidência was a colonial uprising for Brazilian independence from Portugal at the end of the 18th century. It is celebrated during the week of April 21 by paying tribute to Joaquim José da Silva Xavier—known as Tiradentes ("tooth-puller") for his dentistry practice—who became a martyr when the uprising was put down and he was executed. The Inconfidência Week festivities include performances by orchestras, bands, and choirs, and athletic competitions. The city of Ouro Preto is honorarily restored as state capital of Minas Gerais during the festival. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: waistdrop waist - One that has the seam at the hips, rather than the waist. More... blouse - First a garment, usually belted at the waist, worn by peasants or workmen. More... midriff - Based on the Old English hrif, "belly," it is the front of the body between the chest and the waist. More... calypso - The style in which a shirt's tails are tied in a knot at the waist. More... | |