Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, December 25, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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immutable
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Major and Minor Sentences (Regular and Irregular Sentences)A major sentence is any complete sentence that contains an independent clause. Minor sentences do not have both a subject and a complete predicate. What are word sentences? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Aztec WarfareWarfare was a fundamental part of Aztec society and was the driving force behind its economy and religion. The Aztecs used warfare to achieve two main objectives: the subjugation of city states to exact tribute and expand political influence and the taking of captives for religious sacrifice. Members of warrior societies were even ranked according to the number of captives they had taken in battle. Which warrior society's members swore not to take a step backward during battle on pain of death? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 General George Washington Crosses the Delaware in a Surprise Attack (1776)By December 1776, the morale of American colonists fighting in the Revolution had been severely weakened by a string of losses to the better-equipped British. On Christmas Day, Washington crossed the partially-frozen Delaware River with thousands of troops, overnight and during an ice storm, to surprise and overwhelm Hessian mercenaries at Trenton. There were few casualties, and the bold move restored hope of an American victory. What secret phrase signaled the start of the crossing? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Conrad Nicholson Hilton (1887)As a boy, Hilton helped his father turn the family's home into an inn for traveling salesmen. After serving in World War I, he began to buy hotels in Texas and soon graduated to such grand establishments as Chicago's Palmer House and the Waldorf-Astoria of New York. By the late 1940s, Hilton's company had expanded overseas. At the time of his death in 1979, Hilton controlled the world's largest hotel company. What did Hilton's mother tell him was the best investment he would ever make? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is very difficult to be wholly joyous or wholly sad on this earth. The comic, when it is human, soon takes upon itself a face of pain; and some of our griefs...have their source in weaknesses which must be recognized with smiling compassion as the common inheritance of us all.Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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curse a blue streak— To use profane language with great rapidity and intensity. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Christmas (Puerto Rico) (2025)Christmas celebrations in Puerto Rico combine island traditions with more contemporary customs, such as Santa Claus and imported Christmas trees. Singers, often dressed as the Three Kings (or Magi), go from door to door singing ancient carols known as aguinaldos to the accompaniment of guitars. It is customary to offer gifts to the singer, and over the years the term "aguinaldos" has also come to stand for the gift itself. Sometimes the strolling carolers are asked inside to sample special Christmas dishes, such as roast pig and rice pudding. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: privilegebox social - A social event at which boxes of food are auctioned to male bidders, who win the privilege of eating and dancing with the woman who prepared the box lunch. More... privilege, prerogative - A privilege is a right that may be extended to a group or a number of people; a prerogative is a right that, customarily, is vested in a single person. More... munity - A granted right or privilege. More... prerogative - Comes from Latin praerogare, "ask before others," and came to mean "right to precedence, privilege." More... | |