Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, February 15, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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The Coordinating Conjunction "For"The coordinating conjunction "for" is used to give a reason for something. What types of clauses does it normally join? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Charles Pierre BaudelaireBaudelaire was a 19th-century French poet and critic. The only volume of his poems published in his lifetime, Les Fleurs du mal, translated as The Flowers of Evil, was initially condemned as obscene. Later accepted as a masterpiece, the book is recognized for the brilliant phrasing, rhythm, and expressiveness of its lyrics. Baudelaire also translated many of Poe's works, bringing them to the attention of the French public. What literary movement is he credited with helping develop? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Decimal Day (1971)Financial calculations using the old currency of the UK were complicated, as one pound was made up of 240 pence or 20 shillings, a shilling was equal to 12 pence, and the half-crown was worth two shillings and sixpence. After considering decimalization for over a century, Parliament passed the Decimal Currency Act in 1969. The pound was to be divided into 100 "new pence," and a massive publicity campaign was launched in the weeks leading up to Decimal Day. How did people react to the change? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Susan Brownell Anthony (1820)Anthony was a pioneer in the US women's suffrage movement. The daughter of an abolitionist, she was well-educated and campaigned tirelessly for abolition and suffrage, attempting to secure laws to protect women's rights. In 1869, she and fellow suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton formed the National Woman Suffrage Association. She helped edit a history of the movement and purchased copies for American and European universities. In 1872, she was arrested days after doing what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I read in a book once that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but I've never been able to believe it. I don't believe a rose would be as nice if it was called a thistle or a skunk cabbage.Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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make (the) baby Jesus cry— To be offensive, immoral, unethical, in poor taste, etc., as might cause or provoke the displeasure or disapproval of Jesus Christ. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Maine Memorial Day (2025)The American battleship Maine exploded while sitting at anchor in Havana harbor on February 15, 1898. While the question of responsibility for the explosion was never really settled, many in the U.S. assumed that the Spanish were responsible for the ship's destruction. The Spanish-American War was declared in April, and "Remember the Maine!" is the slogan that has been associated with it ever since. February 15 was observed for many years by the U.S. Navy and by Spanish-American War veterans' associations in Havana and the U.S. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: sledbobber - A person who rides a bobsled or bobsleigh (meaning "short sled"). More... pung - Once the name for a one-horse sled or wagon. More... skate, ski, sled - The word skate was originally plural and comes from Dutch schaats, which derived from an Old French word for "stilt," but the connection is unclear. Skate appeared in English in the mid-17th century. Ski, in English by 1755, was borrowed from Norwegian, and ultimately from Old Norse for "snowshoe." Sled came from Flemish and Germanic sledde, between 1325 and 1388, for a "vehicle for transporting heavy goods," and is related to sledge and sleigh. More... toboggan - Comes from Canadian French from Micmac tobakun or Abnaki udabagan, "sled, sleigh." More... | |