Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, August 23, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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nettlesome
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Categories of Dependent ClausesBecause dependent clauses must be a part of or attached to an independent clause, they serve a variety of grammatical functions depending on what type of dependent clause we are using. What are the three primary categories of dependent clauses? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Thankful VillagesThankful Villages are localities in England and Wales that lost no soldiers in WWI. In those rare parishes, every person who enlisted in the armed forces returned home alive. The term "Thankful Village" was coined in the 1930s by writer Arthur Mee, who identified 32 such places. Another 20 have since been added to the list. In France, where the death toll was higher, only one village lost no soldiers in WWI, and it also has the distinction of having lost none in WWII either. What village is it? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Freckleton Air Disaster (1944)On the morning of August 23, 1944, an American B-24 bomber aircraft crashed into the village of Freckleton in Lancashire, England, during a fierce storm. The plane hit the Holy Trinity School, three houses, and a snack bar for American servicemen. Fuel from the plane's ruptured fuel tank created an inferno. Of the 61 people killed in the crash and fire, 38 were children. What reportedly widespread belief among the American airmen about British weather may have contributed to the disaster? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ernst Krenek (1900)Krenek was an Austrian-American composer born in Vienna to Czech parents. He studied in Berlin and Vienna and began composing in the 1920s. His 1926 jazz opera, Johnny Strikes Up, was extremely successful and has been translated into many languages. He explored atonal and 12-tone compositions, which lack a definable key. In 1937, Krenek moved to the US, where he became a citizen in 1945. In 1924, he began a short-lived marriage to the daughter of what famous composer? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I'm always rather nervous about how you talk about women who are active in politics, whether they want to be talked about as women or as politicians.John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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(as) silent as the grave— Totally silent, especially as produces an ominous or foreboding effect. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Vulcanalia (2025)Vulcan was the ancient Roman god of volcanic or destructive fire. The Vulcanalia, or festival in honor of Vulcan, was held on August 23, right at the time of year when forest fires might be expected and when the stored grain was in danger of burning. For this reason, Vulcan's cult was very prominent at Ostia, where Rome's grain was stored. At the Vulcanalia, which was observed in Egypt, in Athens, and in Rome, the priest or flamen Volcanis performed a sacrifice, and the heads of families burned small fish they had caught in the Tiber River. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: wanderingevagation - Means mental wandering or digression, also a digression in speech or writing. More... mundivagant - Means "wandering around the world." More... vagation - The action of wandering, straying, or departing from the proper or regular course. More... wanderjahr - Literally German for "wander year," it refers to a year of wandering or travel. More... | |