Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, November 23, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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monotonous
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Causative Verbs and TenseCausative verbs are followed by a noun or pronoun and a non-causative verb in either the infinitive or base form. Because the non-causative verb is always in the infinitive form, the tense of the sentence depends on the conjugation of the causative verb. Causative verbs can be used in what tenses? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Red River Ox CartsRed River ox carts were a vital form of transportation during the 19th-century westward expansion in the US and Canada. They carried fur to trading posts in places like St. Paul, Minnesota, and then carried supplies back to settlements along the Red River of the North, which now forms the Minnesota–North Dakota border. Built entirely of wood and animal hide—and no metal—the carts typically had two wheels, which were notorious for their constant creaking. Why couldn't their axles be greased? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Hijacking of EgyptAir Flight 648 (1985)Minutes after taking off from an Athens airport on November 23, 1985, EgyptAir Flight 648 was hijacked by five Palestinian terrorists. The plane was forced to land in Malta, where authorities attempted to negotiate with the hijackers. The terrorists shot two Israelis and three Americans before Egyptian commandos launched a disastrous raid in which nearly 60 hostages were killed. Remarkably, three of the passengers shot by the terrorists survived. How did one of the terrorists almost escape? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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_01.jpg) Alfonso the Wise, King of Castile and León (1221)Alfonso X, son and successor of Ferdinand III, sought to become Holy Roman Emperor but eventually renounced his claim due to Spanish antagonism and papal opposition. He crushed revolts by Muslims in 1252 and nobles in 1254, but once his eldest son was killed while fighting the Moors in 1275, civil war for succession broke out between Ferdinand's children and Alfonso's second son, who succeeded him as Sancho IV. Why is Alfonso depicted in the House of Representatives chamber of the US Capitol? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Anarchy is the sure consequence of tyranny; for no power that is not limited by laws can ever be protected by them.John Milton (1608-1674) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be kept in the dark (about something)— To be kept uninformed (about something); to be excluded from full knowledge or disclosure (of something). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. George's Day (Republic of Georgia) (2024)Nothing much is known for certain about St. George, but he is popularly known in medieval legend for slaying a vicious dragon that was besieging a town in Cappadocia. To this day, St. George is often depicted with a dragon. St. George's Day, sometimes referred to as Georgemas, has been observed as a religious feast as well as a holiday since the 13th century. It is celebrated on November 23 as a national holiday in the Republic of Georgia. A festival is held at the cathedral of Mtskheta, the old capital and religious center of Georgia. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: slaughterfatstock - Livestock fattened for slaughter. More... massacre - Comes from Latin mazacrium/masacrium, "slaughter." More... slaughter - From Old Norse, meaning "butcher's meat." More... homicide, murder, manslaughter - The general term for the killing of a person by another is homicide; murder is either the intentional killing or the malicious killing of another, while manslaughter is the unintentional, accidental killing of another through carelessness. More... | |