Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, September 13, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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lore
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Function of Reciprocal PronounsReciprocal pronouns are used to refer to two or more people who are or were the subject of the same verb, with both or all parties mutually receiving or benefiting from that action in the same way. How do reciprocal pronouns always function in a sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Olbers's ParadoxIf the universe is assumed to contain an infinite number of uniformly distributed luminous stars, then every point in the sky should be as bright as a star. So why is the sky dark at night? That is the question posed by Olbers's paradox, named for astronomer Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers, who described it in 1823, more than 200 years after Johannes Kepler first posed the question as an argument against the notion of a limitless universe with infinite stars. How has the paradox since been resolved? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Michelangelo Begins Carving His Statue of David (1501)Begun when the artist was just 26 years old and completed three years later, Michelangelo's David is considered the prime example of the Renaissance ideal of perfect humanity and a masterpiece of sculpture. The 17-ft (5.2-m) marble figure differs from other representations of David in that he appears tense and is not carrying the head of the slain Goliath. A replica of David on display in London's Victoria and Albert Museum has a detachable fig-leaf that was made for whose visit? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Samuel "Uncle Sam" Wilson (1766)Wilson was an American Revolutionary War veteran who owned a meatpacking plant in Troy, New York. He provided beef to the army during the War of 1812 in barrels stamped "US," indicating that they were US property. According to some sources, the soldiers began joking that the initials stood for "Uncle Sam," referring to Wilson, unwittingly inventing the character that would soon come into widespread use as a symbol of the US government. What resolution regarding Wilson did Congress pass in 1961? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Capital, n.: The seat of misgovernment.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a licence to print money— An activity, business model, or company that yields very high profits but requires little or no effort to do so. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Pendleton Round-Up and Happy Canyon Night Show (2024)The Pendleton Round-Up is one of the best-known rodeos in the West, held since 1910 in the small ranch town of Pendleton, Oregon. Happy Canyon was inaugurated four years later and evolved into the present-day Happy Canyon Pageant, a presentation by Northwest Indian tribes that features a teepee encampment and ceremonial dancing. In between, the rodeo features the standard competitions—bronco riding, bull riding, steer wrestling, and calf and steer roping. Additionally, there are wild horse and stagecoach races and wild-cow milking. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: whiskeyardent spirits - Strong alcoholic liquors made by distillation, as brandy, whiskey, or gin. More... bourbon - Named for Bourbon County, Kentucky, an American whiskey made from at least 51 percent corn, plus other grains (all bourbons are whiskey, but not all whiskeys are bourbon); whiskey is an alcoholic liquor distilled from grain, such as corn, rye, or barley, and contains approximately 40 to 50 percent ethyl alcohol by volume. More... scat - Slang for whiskey. More... brand name - The term originated with whiskey, as the producers branded their names on the barrels. More... | |