Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, August 18, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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cognizant
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Restrictive vs. Non-Restrictive Relative ClausesRestrictive relative clauses are clauses carrying essential information. Without its restrictive relative clause, a main clause will lack a vital description and fail to convey the full or appropriate meaning. What are non-restrictive relative clauses? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Cheerio EffectHave you ever wondered why bits of cereal floating in milk tend to clump together or cling to the sides of a bowl? In fluid mechanics, this phenomenon is humorously called the "Cheerio effect," though it applies to any small, wettable object that floats, not just breakfast cereal. It is caused by a combination of buoyancy—the upward force a fluid exerts on an object of lower density—and surface tension—the elastic-like property of a liquid's surface. Where else might one observe this effect? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Priest Urbain Grandier Burned at the Stake for Witchcraft (1634)Grandier was a 17th-century French Catholic priest who was accused of bewitching the nuns of the Ursuline convent. Although he was acquitted by an ecclesiastical council, Grandier had published scathing criticisms of Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister and virtual ruler of France, who arranged to have him re-tried. Accused of having entered a pact with the devil, Grandier was tortured, found guilty, and burned at the stake. What was presented as evidence of the Grandier's diabolical pact? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Antonio Salieri (1750)Italian composer and conductor Antonio Salieri moved to Vienna, Austria, in 1766 with his music teacher, imperial court composer Florian Gassmann. When Gassmann died, Salieri took his position and went on to become Vienna's most popular opera composer for the remainder of the 18th century. Beethoven, Schubert, and Liszt were among his most famous students. Though Salieri and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart were rivals, the story that he poisoned Mozart is likely untrue. How did their rivalry begin? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There's such a difference between saying a thing yourself and hearing other people say it ... You may know a thing is so, but you can't help hoping other people don't quite think it is.Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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one side— Move aside! Get out of the way! (Short for "move to one side.") More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Gabon Independence Day (2025)Gabon gained official independence from France on August 17, 1960, after more than a century of domination. August 17 is a public holiday, but celebrations often extend to the days before and after Independence Day, with parades and dancing. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: healingbalsam - First referred to an aromatic resinous substance with healing or soothing properties. More... healing, curing - Healing is a process in which an organism's health is restored; curing is a method that promotes healing. More... psychiatry - From Greek psykhe, "mind," and iatreia, "healing." More... salve - The main semantic element is "healing," but the etymological meaning is "oily substance." More... | |