Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, July 22, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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histrionics
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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[sic]When a quotation contains a mistake, such as a spelling mistake or grammatical error, but we wish to preserve the quotation exactly as it was written, we can mark it with the word "sic" (Latin for "thus" or "so") in brackets to let the reader know that the error was not our own. When should this generally be used? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 HammurabiThe sixth king of Babylonia, Hammurabi founded an empire that was eventually destroyed by raids from Asia Minor. He is best remembered for his code of laws, which addresses issues like business and family relations, labor, private property, and personal injuries. Though generally humanitarian, Hammurabi's Code relies on the retributive "eye for an eye" theory of punishment. A nearly complete version of the code, carved on a diorite column, was recovered in 1902. Where can you visit it today? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Pablo Escobar Escapes from His Luxury Prison (1992)By 1989, Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was one of the world's richest men. At the height of his success, his Medellín cartel controlled 80% of the global cocaine market. Even after he was incarcerated, he continued to conduct business from the resort-like Colombian prison that had been built to his specifications. In 1992, in an effort to avoid extradition to the US, Escobar escaped. He was killed by police 16 months later. His intimidation tactic of plata o plomo translates to what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Edward Hopper (1882)Hopper was an American painter who supported himself as a commercial illustrator until he gained recognition in the mid-1920s with his now-iconic scenes of American life. His dramatically lit works often feature still, anonymous figures inside geometric buildings and evoke a haunting sense of isolation that was his hallmark. His famous Nighthawks depicts a mostly empty, brightly lit diner on an otherwise dark, desolate street at night. What was said to be Hopper's favorite thing to paint? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Children are all foreigners.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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out there— (hyphenated if used before a noun) Somewhat unusual, unconventional, crazy, or eccentric. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Fasinada (2025)Fasinada is a commemoration of the tiny island of Gospa od Skrpjela (Our Lady of the Chisels) off Montenegro. The island, according to the story, was once nothing more than a rock; sailors dumped stones there until an island was formed, and in the 17th century a church was built on the pile of rocks. The festival includes a procession to the island of boats decorated with garlands of flowers and loaded with rocks. The rocks are piled up to reinforce the shores of the island, and then the participants enjoy folk dancing and country sports and games. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: triviafactlet - A piece of trivia. More... inconsequentia - Trifling facts or trivia. More... nugae - Trifles or trivia. More... trivia - Derives from Latin tri, "three" and via, "ways." In Roman times, at the intersection of any three streets were kiosks where information was posted for travelers, but which was totally ignored by the citizens—a possible source of its modern meaning; trivia is actually plural and should take "these" instead of "this" (etc.). More... | |