Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, September 12, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
cocksure
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Using "Must" to Convey CertaintyThe modal verb "must" can be used to indicate that something is certain or very likely to happen or be true. Generally speaking, though, we do not use the negative of must ("must not" or "mustn't") to express a negative certainty or strong disbelief. What do we use instead? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Active Denial SystemInformally labeled the "pain ray," the Active Denial System (ADS) is a non-lethal weapon being developed by the US military. Designed for use in crowd control operations, the ADS emits electromagnetic radiation that excites water molecules in the epidermis, causing an intensely painful burning sensation. Though the device does not actually burn the skin, its effect is said to feel similar to a hot light bulb being pressed against it. How long do these painful effects last? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Commandos Rescue Imprisoned Benito Mussolini (1943)In 1943, Italian dictator Benito Mussolini was deposed by his own government. When German forces discovered that he was being held at a ski resort in the Apennine Mountains, they launched a daring rescue. Arriving on gliders, German troops overwhelmed Mussolini's captors and spirited him away without firing a shot. The operation was a major propaganda success for the Nazis. According to some accounts, what was Mussolini's reply when the paratroopers told him that Adolf Hitler had sent them? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Henry Louis "H.L." Mencken (1880)Often regarded as one of the most influential American writers of the early 20th century, Mencken was a journalist, satirist, social critic, and cynic known as the "Sage of Baltimore," for the city where he lived his entire life. Perhaps best remembered for his satirical reporting on the Scopes evolution trial, which he dubbed the "Monkey trial," Mencken was frequently critical of myriad institutions. Why did the Arkansas legislature pass a motion in 1931 to pray for Mencken's soul? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Cogito cogito ergo cogito sum—"I think that I think, therefore I think that I am."Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
sit a spell— To sit down, relax, and socialize for a while at one's leisure. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Festival of St. Nichiren's Pardon (2025)At the Botamochi Temple in Kamakura, Japan, this festival honors St. Nichiren (1222-1282), considered to be Japan's most fervent Buddhist priest. He was exiled to the island of Sado in the Sea of Japan in 1271. After four years there, he returned and spent the rest of his life on Mount Minobu. The Festival of Nichiren's Pardon is observed by members of the Nichiren sect with massive demonstrations and the loud chanting of prayers attributed to Nichiren, accompanied by the beating of drums. People make offerings of botamochi, rice balls covered with sweet bean paste, in his honor. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: malesalpha male - A domineering man; the dominant member in a group of males, especially animals. More... kiva - In Native American Pueblo practices, an underground chamber used by the males for religious rites. More... mixed voices - Voices of both males and females united in the same performance. More... | |