Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, September 20, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Conjunctive Adverbs for Complete ContrastThere are two types of contrast that we can illustrate using conjunctive adverbs. One, known as "complete contrast," is when the two opposing things are total opposites. What conjunctive adjectives can be used to show complete contrast? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Production CodeIn 1922, after a number of scandals involving Hollywood personalities, film industry leaders formed the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America to counteract the threat of government censorship. Its first president, Will H. Hays, developed a Production Code—also known as the Hays Code—that detailed what was morally acceptable on screen. The code was enforced until it was supplanted by a voluntary rating system in 1966. What specific things did the code outlaw? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Saladin Begins Siege of Jerusalem (1187)Jerusalem was conquered by the Crusaders in 1099 during the First Crusade and served as the capital of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem for most of the 12th century, but it was besieged and captured by Saladin, the Kurdish Muslim warrior and Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt, after his decisive victory at Hattin in 1187. The Crusaders negotiated a surrender, and the two parties agreed to a peaceful handover of the city to Saladin, preventing the sort of massacre that had occurred when? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 James Dewar (1842)Dewar was a British chemist and physicist best known for his work on the properties of matter at very low temperatures and the liquefaction of gases. In the course of his work, he liquefied and solidified hydrogen and invented the Dewar flask. Used for storing liquefied gases, his Dewar flask—a double-walled flask with an insulating vacuum between the inner and outer walls—became essential in low-temperature scientific work. What everyday item was patterned after Dewar's flask? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It was easier to know it than to explain why I knew it. If you were asked to prove that two and two made four, you might find some difficulty, and yet you are quite sure of the fact.Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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like rats abandoning a sinking ship— With great haste and having only personal well-being in mind. (Typically said of people who begin abandoning something or someone that is failing or about to fail.) More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Constitution Week (Mesa, Arizona) (2019)Mesa, Arizona, has consistently celebrated the Congressionally established Constitution Week for over 30 years. Held at the Mesa Amphitheater, the celebration includes a school band concert, a Constitution Quiz, a Boy Scouts parade of flags, the high school color guard ROTC, and live music. Educational activities include information about the lives and activities of America's Founding Fathers and an in-depth examination of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Mesa students at all grade levels learn about the U.S. Constitution during the week. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pocketsfishing vest - A sleeveless jacket with many pockets for carrying small objects. More... English billiards - Played on a table with no pockets. More... gnurr - The substance that collects over time in the bottoms of pockets or cuffs of trousers. More... pucker - Has the underlying notion of being formed into "pockets." More... | |