Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, September 2, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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inundate
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Common Errors with Compound SentencesCompound sentences are made up of at least two independent clauses expressing closely related ideas of equal or similar importance that are joined using a comma and a conjunction or just a semicolon. What are the two most common errors that occur with compound sentences? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Black SwansIn Europe, where there are no black swans, the bird was historically thought to be an impossibility, leading to its use as a metaphor for something that does not exist. Then, in 1697, Dutch explorer Willem de Vlamingh sighted one on a river in Australia, where it is found in wetlands. Today, it is an important cultural symbol of Western Australia, where its image has been used on stamps, signs, currency, and the state flag. How does the black swan appear in the legends of aboriginal peoples? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Paddy Roy Bates Founds His Own Nation (1967)The Principality of Sealand is a purported micronation located on Roughs Tower, a World War II-era British sea fort located in the North Sea six miles (10 km) off the coast of Suffolk, England. Since 1966, the installation has been occupied by the associates and family of Paddy Roy Bates, a former British Army major and pirate radio broadcaster who claimed it as a sovereign and independent state in 1967. What is the international community's position on the fort's status as a sovereign nation? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Louis Bonaparte (1778)Louis was the younger brother of Napoleon Bonaparte, the first Emperor of France. He accompanied Napoleon on the Italian campaign and was his aide-de-camp in Egypt. At Napoleon's insistence, he married Hortense de Beauharnais, but the union did not last. Proclaimed king of Holland in 1806, he was criticized by Napoleon for being too easy on his subjects. His unwillingness to join the Continental System led him into conflict with Napoleon and to eventually flee his kingdom. Who was Louis's son? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A lifetime of happiness! No man alive could bear it: it would be hell on earth.George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a legend in (one's) own mind— A person who affects or believes him- or herself to be of greater importance or notoriety than is actually the case. A humorous, ironic twist on the phrase "a legend in one's own lifetime." More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Feast of San Estevan (2024)The Feast of San Estevan (St. Stephen) is a harvest dance and annual feast day in the Native American pueblo of Acoma in New Mexico. Acoma was established in the 12th century and is the oldest continuously inhabited community in America, though only about 50 people now live there year-round. A mass and procession begin the feast day. The statue of the patron saint is taken from the church to the plaza, where the dances are performed from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. There are 15 or so different dances—Bear, Butterfly, and Rainbow are some of them. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pityalms - Goes back to Greek eleemosune, "compassion, pity," and eleos, "mercy." More... bemoan, lament - Bemoaning is motivated when pity or grief is over an event that is joined to a consequence, whereas lamenting is motivated when the grief is over the event itself. More... pity, piety - Pity and piety shared the meanings "compassion" and "dutifulness, reverence" for a while. More... ruth, ruthless, ruthful - Ruth, meaning "compassion, pity," is part of ruthless and ruthful. More... | |