Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, April 5, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining the SlashThe slash ( / ) serves a number of purposes in writing, essentially standing in for other words as a quick and clear way of showing the connection between two things. What is a slash technically known as? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 WendigosThe wendigo of Algonquian mythology is a malevolent, cannibalistic spirit into which humans can transform or which can possess humans. Those who have indulged in cannibalism or succumbed to greed are thought to be particularly susceptible. It is said that whenever wendigos eat someone, they grow larger in proportion to the meal they have just had. Thus, though wendigos are constantly gorging themselves, they remain emaciated from starvation and are never full. What is windigo psychosis? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Pocahontas Marries English Colonist John Rolfe (1614)Pocahontas, daughter of the powerful Native American chief Powhatan, helped maintain peace between English colonists and her own people by befriending the settlers at Jamestown, Virginia, and allegedly saving the life of colonial leader John Smith after he was captured by her father's men. She later married colonist John Rolfe, which furthered efforts toward peace, and the two traveled to England, where she was received at court. What happened on her journey back to America? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (1908)American screen legend and two-time Academy Award-winning actress Bette Davis made her Hollywood debut in 1931 and, after several flops, won acclaim for her role in 1934's Of Human Bondage. Her electrifying performances and intense characterizations of strong women made her a prime box-office attraction between 1935 and 1946, but her popularity declined thereafter. Undeterred, she launched a comeback and continued acting until shortly before her death. Why did she disinherit her daughter? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Human feeling is like the mighty rivers that bless the earth: it does not wait for beauty—it flows with resistless force and brings beauty with it.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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move through the gears— To steadily increase one's momentum, as of speed, intensity, progress, or success. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Thay Pagoda Festival (2021)This Vietnamese festival is held in honor of Buddhist monk Dao Hanh, who lived during the Lý Dynasty (1009-1225 CE). Dao Hanh was said to have invented what is known as mua roi can, "water puppetry," an activity that plays an important part in the festival. In addition to water puppet performances, the festival features firecracker competitions, folk singing, rowing contests, and mountain-climbing events. It is held in the village of Thay (or Thuy Khe village) in the Quoc Oai District of Ha Tay Province. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: refrainballade - A verse or poem made up of three stanzas of equal length with a recurrent line or refrain at the end of each of the stanzas. More... condone - From Latin condonare, "refrain from punishing," it does not mean "approve of, endorse"; it means "let something pass without interference even though you probably disapprove," or "pardon, forgive, overlook." More... burden, refrain, chorus - The burden is the main theme or gist of a speech, book, or argument—or the refrain or chorus of a song. More... deport - The earliest sense of deport was "bear with; refrain." More... | |