Today's Highlights
| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
abbess
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
ParticiplesParticiples are words formed from verbs that can function as adjectives or gerunds or can be used to form the continuous tenses and the perfect tenses of verbs. There are two participle forms—what are they? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 WolfberryWolfberry is the common name for the fruit of two closely related species in the family that also includes potatoes, tomatoes, chili peppers, deadly nightshade, and tobacco. Though the recognition of wolfberries' nutrient and antioxidant qualities is only a recent phenomenon in the West, they have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for at least 2,000 years and are often linked to lore involving Shen Nung, China's legendary first emperor. Wolfberry is often marketed under what name? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Hundreds Killed in Hajj Stampede (2006)About one in four people in the world is Muslim, a demographic that includes more than a billion people. Each Muslim is required to visit Mecca, the Saudi Arabian city of Mohammed's birth, at least once in their lifetime. During the annual pilgrimage, or Hajj, Mecca bears an influx of millions of people. In 2006, during the final day of the requisite Stoning of the Devil ritual, some 350 people were crushed to death in the crowd. What other dangers have pilgrims faced during the Hajj? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Ferdinand I, King of the Two Sicilies (1751)Ferdinand became king of Naples in 1759 when his father ascended to the Spanish throne. A weak ruler, he was greatly influenced by his wife, the arguably more capable Maria Carolina of Austria. The execution of her sister, Marie Antoinette of France, induced Ferdinand to fight against the French Revolution. The French then invaded Naples—twice. Ferdinand regained control of Naples and took over Sicily, but his despotism prompted an 1820 insurrection. What secret society influenced the uprising? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 The state lieth in all languages of good and evil; and whatever it saith it lieth; and whatever it hath it hath stolen.Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
weep (one's) heart out— To weep copiously; to cry intensely and for a long time. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Hostos Day (2025)Eugenio Maria de Hostos (1839-1903) was a Puerto Rican philosopher and patriot who became a leader of the opposition to Spanish colonial rule in the 19th century. He campaigned for the education of women in Brazil, and his books on law and education triggered reforms in other Latin American countries. He even sponsored the first railroad between Chile and Argentina, across the Andes Mountains. The anniversary of his birth is observed as a public holiday in Puerto Rico on the second Monday in January. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: pulselight year - Not a length of time but a distance, the distance a pulse of light travels in one year (about 5.88 trillion miles). More... pea - Comes from Greek pison, "pulse, pease." More... asphyxia - Its original meaning was stoppage of the pulse. More... ictus - The beat of the pulse, based on the Latin word for "stroke." More... | |
| Match Up | |
|---|---|
| Mismatch | |
|---|---|