Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, January 12, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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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 | |
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 Scotland YardScotland Yard was the headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police, but the phrase is popularly used to refer to the force itself, particularly its Criminal Investigation Department. Named after a street in London that may have been the site of a palace used by 12th-century Scottish kings, Scotland Yard became London's police center in 1829. In 1890, the force moved to a new building, and in 1967, it moved once again. Today, the Metropolitan Police headquarters building is known by what name? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 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 | |
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 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 | |
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 Some people are born with a vital and responsive energy. It not only enables them to keep abreast of the times; it qualifies them to furnish in their own personality a good bit of the motive power to the mad pace.Kate Chopin (1851-1904) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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weep (one's) heart out— To weep copiously; to cry intensely and for a long time. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 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 | |
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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... | |