Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, November 25, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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unstinting
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Negative ImperativesWhen we make an imperative sentence, we use the infinitive form of the verb (without "to"), and we omit the subject of the verb. What can we put before the infinitive verb to make an imperative statement negative? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Centralia, PennsylvaniaA modern-day ghost town, Centralia, Pennsylvania, is the site of an underground coal mine fire that has been burning for nearly 50 years. In 1962, the planned burning of a landfill ignited an exposed vein of coal, leading to an underground conflagration that now underlies approximately 400 acres (1.6 sq km). The state has condemned all of Centralia's buildings, yet a handful of residents remain there, despite sinkholes, escaping gases, and health warnings. How long is the fire expected to burn? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Elias Howe Patents a Precursor to the Zipper (1851)Five years after being granted a patent for the first practical sewing machine, Howe patented his design for a zipper-like garment fastener. However, he never put much effort into marketing this invention, perhaps due to the great success of his sewing machine, and today, credit for the zipper's development is largely given to Whitcomb Judson, who demonstrated his innovative slide-fastener design 42 years later at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. How did the zipper get its name? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Carry Nation (1846)Nation was an American temperance advocate with an unorthodox style of destroying saloons with a hatchet while supporters sang hymns. Her passion was likely fueled by her first husband's alcoholism. Though she was successful in focusing public attention on the cause of prohibition, most temperance organizations were hesitant to support her. At 6 feet (1.8 m) tall, Nation was hard to contain and was arrested 30 times before declining health forced her retirement. How did she pay her fines? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future.John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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on in years— Advanced in age; old or becoming old. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Manger Yam (2021)Manger Yam is a harvest celebration of the yam crop observed in Haiti. It is considered taboo to eat any of the new yams before the festival for fear of falling ill or bringing ruin to the yam crop. In Vodoun belief, it is very important for people to maintain relationships with the dead, as well as with each other and the gods, so the deceased are included in the Manger Yam. In the Vodoun service, the priest or priestess leads prayers to the dead and to the gods and offers the first yams to them. After the ceremony, people feast on yam dishes and enjoy music and dancing. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: oddsacross the board - An allusion to the board displaying the odds in a horse race. More... rubble - Comes from Anglo-Norman robel, "bits of broken stone," from earlier French robe, "loot, odds and ends stolen." More... ironic - Something is ironic if the result is the opposite of what was intended; an ironic event is an incongruous event, one at odds with what might have been expected. More... odds and ends - The first official odds and ends were found in lumberyards—odds were pieces of board split irregularly by the sawmill, ends were pieces trimmed from boards that were cut to specific lengths. More... | |