Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, November 2, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
dander
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
Using Viewpoint Adverbs to Indicate a Point of ViewMany common viewpoint adverbs are actually adverbials, or groups of words that function together as an adverb. "In my opinion" is a common viewpoint adverbial used to indicate that one is expressing a personal point of view. What are some other viewpoint adverbs? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 The MaasaiThe Maasai are a largely nomadic pastoral people whose territory is divided between Tanzania and Kenya. Their distinctive customs and dress and their proximity to many East African game parks have made them one of the most internationally well-known African ethnic groups. The Maasai measure wealth in terms of cattle and children, rather than money, and someone who has plenty of one but not the other is considered poor. How does killing lions factor into traditional Maasai culture? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 First Major Internet-Distributed Computer Worm Launched (1988)In 1988, Cornell University student Robert Morris launched a program supposedly aimed at measuring the size of the Internet. He had designed the ostensibly harmless program to count the computers connected to the small but growing Web by copying itself to each unit. Due to a design flaw, however, the program spread wildly, repeatedly copying itself to some computers and rendering them useless. A large part of the Internet was affected by the so-called Morris worm. What was Morris's punishment? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 James Knox Polk (1795)A native southerner and friend of Andrew Jackson, Polk was elected president of the US in 1845. During his administration, the US made large territorial gains. Polk peacefully negotiated the Oregon border dispute with Britain, while the US victory in the Mexican War secured much of the West. Though an efficient and competent president, Polk was exhausted by the time he left office, and he died three months later. Despite his happy marriage, he had no children. What likely rendered him sterile? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Death is a dignitary who when he comes announced is to be received with formal manifestations of respect, even by those most familiar with him.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
take a fit— To become very or unreasonably angry or upset; to have an outburst of rage, frustration, or ill temper. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Día de los Muertos (2025)Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, is a national holiday in Mexico and is observed in Hispanic communities throughout the U.S. Long before sunrise, people stream into the cemeteries laden with candles, flowers, and food that is often shaped and decorated to resemble the symbols of death. Children eat tiny chocolate hearses, sugar funeral wreaths, and candy skulls and coffins. But the atmosphere is festive. In many homes, people set up ofrendas, or altars, to the departed. These are decked with candles, special foods, and whatever the dead enjoyed when they were alive. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: rowwindbreak - A row of trees acting as a fence. More... acrostic - From Greek akron, "end," and stikhos, "row, line of verse." More... queue - Has the forms queued and queuing or queueing; queueing has five vowels in a row. More... row - The verb comes from Germanic ro-, "steer," and row, "orderly line," which is from Germanic raigwa. More... | |