Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, October 31, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining PrepositionsPrepositions are used to express the relationship of a noun or pronoun (or another grammatical element functioning as a noun) to the rest of the sentence. What is the object of the preposition? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Ancient Roman SanitationThe sophisticated sanitation system in ancient Rome has been the subject of study by historians and archeologists for centuries. Antiquity's largest city, imperial Rome counted well over a million inhabitants at its height. The city was supplied with water—from as far as 57 miles (92 km) away—by its many aqueducts, most of which were underground conduits. Some of the more famous stone arch versions are still standing. Rome also had a complex system of sewers. Where did they empty? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Leiden University Library Opens in the Netherlands (1587)The city of Leiden played a prominent role in the revolt that would create an independent Dutch nation. In 1575—a year after Leiden had survived a siege by the Spanish—Prince William the Silent founded a university in the city. Today, Leiden University is the oldest in the Netherlands. Its library, once housed in a single room, is now home to a monumental collection of books, manuscripts, maps, and letters—some of which are centuries old and very rare. What was the library's first book? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 John Evelyn (1620)From 1631 until his death in 1706, Evelyn kept a diary that is today an invaluable source of information on 17th-century British social, cultural, and political life. He corresponded frequently with Samuel Pepys, another now-famous diarist of the time. Living as a wealthy country gentleman in Deptford, he wrote about 30 books on various subjects including reforestation, vegetarianism, and numismatics. In 1661, he wrote the Fumifugium, believed to be the first book written on what topic? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It has been observed that one's nose is never so happy as when thrust into the affairs of others, from which some physiologists have drawn the inference that the nose is devoid of the sense of smell.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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take a breather— To take a short pause or hiatus (from something). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Apple and Candle Night (2025)This is another name for Halloween among children in the Swansea area of Wales. The traditional game of "Apple and Candle" is played by suspending a stick from the ceiling with an apple fastened to one end and a lit candle to the other. The object is to eat the apple without using hands and without getting burned by the swinging candle. To make the game more challenging, players are sometimes blindfolded and the stick is twirled around before the game begins. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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