Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, May 25, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ebullience
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
The Proper Order for Adverbs of TimeRemember, adverbs of time can be used to describe three different aspects: duration, frequency, and certain points in time (when). If we are using multiple adverbs of time in the same sentence, and if there is no special emphasis given to one aspect over another, in what order do they generally appear? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 ZaalZaal is a legendary warrior in the Persian Shahnameh, or Book of Kings. Born an albino, he is abandoned on a mountain, where he is found by a giant phoenix-like bird, the Simurgh, that takes him to her nest and raises him. Years later, his father—a king—reclaims him. The Simurgh is heartbroken at Zaal's departure and gives him three feathers for protection. He marries a princess descended from an evil king and fathers the great Persian hero Rostam. When does Zaal use the feathers? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Millions Participate in Hands Across America (1986)Hands Across America was a massive, heavily publicized fundraiser during which millions of people, including scores of celebrities and politicians, lined up in the hopes of forming a human chain stretching from New York to California. Though they did not succeed in this regard—there were many gaps along the way—the event raised $20 million. Had all of the participants actually given the $10 required donation, it would have reached its $50-million goal. For what cause was the money raised? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Beverly Sills (1929)Sills was an American operatic soprano. She sang on the radio as a child and made her operatic debut in 1946. Her 1966 performance in Julius Caesar made her an opera star, not just for her voice, but also for her acting. After 25 years of singing with the New York City Opera, she became its director, and she also served as chairman of the board of New York's Lincoln Center and of the Metropolitan Opera. In 2006, she claimed to have stopped singing, even in the shower, for what reason? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Compromise, n.: Such an adjustment of conflicting interests as gives each adversary the satisfaction of thinking he has got what he ought not to have, and is deprived of nothing except what was justly his due.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
mess of pottage— Something of little, trivial, or no value but which appears to be attractive or valuable on first reckoning. An allusion to Esau in Genesis 25:29–32, who sells to Jacob his birthright to his family's estate for a bowl of lentil stew (pottage). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Fête des Stes. Maries de la Mer (2025)According to a French legend, St. Sarah, patron saint of gypsies, was the Egyptian handmaid of Sts. Mary Jacoby and Mary Salome, and all three supposedly died in the small Provençal village of Les Saintes Maries-de-la-Mer, where their remains are said to be preserved. During the Festival of the Holy Maries, there is a procession down to the sea for the blessing of the painted wooden vessel known as the "Bark of the Saints," which is believed to contain some of the bones of the saints. Thousands of devout pilgrims make the journey to Les Saintes Maries-de-la-Mer each year. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: musical instrumentpiano word - One in which all of its letters can be played as notes on a musical instrument (e.g. cabbage). More... cord, chord - Cord comes from Greek khorde, "gut, string of a musical instrument," and chord is a refashioning of cord. More... sweet potato - An informal name for the ocarina, a musical instrument. More... tone color - The same as timbre, the quality of sound that distinguishes one voice or musical instrument from another. More... | |