Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, June 28, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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munificent
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining the CommaThe comma ( , ) is one of the most commonly used punctuation marks in English. Generally speaking, commas are used to connect two or more elements in a sentence, but the way in which they do this varies widely, depending on what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Soapy SmithOne of the best-known con men of the American Old West, Smith established criminal empires in Colorado and Alaska. His nickname comes from his main scam, in which he duped townsfolk into thinking he was selling them soap cakes wrapped in money. His cronies in the crowd would then buy all of the money-wrapped cakes, leaving paper-wrapped soaps for everyone else. However, Smith's seedy ways were his undoing, and he was shot in 1898 after stealing a miner's gold. What were his last words? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Stonewall Riots Begin (1969)In 1969, gay rights in the US were virtually nonexistent, and discrimination was routine. On June 28, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular Mob-run gay bar in New York's Greenwich Village, and began arresting patrons for cross-dressing. A crowd gathered outside, taunting police and throwing debris. The police responded with violence. Protest rallies and more riots followed, marking the awakening of the US gay rights movement. How long after the riots were the first Gay Pride marches held? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Melvin Kaminsky, AKA Mel Brooks (1926)Brooks is an American film director, writer, actor, and producer best known for his wild parodies that mix satire with slapstick. He started out as a television comedy writer but soon turned to film. He won an Oscar for his first feature film, The Producers (1968), a comic masterpiece of bad taste, and followed it with such films as the Western-inspired Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein, a parody of the horror genre. Who speaks the only word in his Silent Movie? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Let me not then die ingloriously and without a struggle, but let me first do some great thing that shall be told among men hereafter.Homer (900 BC-800 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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salty dog— A sailor, especially a man, who is older and/or has had a lot of experience on the seas. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion (2025)The Stonewall Inn was a gay bar in New York City's Greenwich Village that was raided by the police on June 28, 1969. As the outraged crowd threw stones and bottles, more police arrived and subdued what had turned into a riot. Today, the event is regarded as a turning point in the history of the gay rights movement. It is commemorated in New York, Philadelphia, and other U.S. cities with parades, memorial services for those who have died of AIDS, and other activities to draw attention to the ways in which homosexuals have been discriminated against. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: luckhapless, happiness - Hapless means one is lacking hap, "good fortune, luck"; the words happy and happiness also have the root "hap." More... happen - Fairly new to English, from hap, "chance, luck," which was borrowed from Old Norse happ. More... fortune - Latin fors, "chance," formed fortuna, "that which fate brings along," hence fortune, "luck" or "good luck." More... potluck - Comes from the practice of throwing leftovers in a pot—with luck determining how good the stew would taste. More... | |