Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, February 24, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Identifying Adverbial ComplementsThe best way to identify whether an adverbial element is a complement or not is to remove it from the sentence. If the sentence no longer makes sense or has a very different meaning, then what is the adverbial element is what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Viking LongshipsLongships were the boats used by the Vikings of Scandinavia and Iceland for trade, exploration, and warfare between the 8th and 11th centuries. Long and narrow, the boats were designed for speed and were propelled by teams of rowers, sometimes aided by sails. They were shallow enough to land on beaches and light enough to be carried over land. They were also double-ended and could reverse direction quickly. Why, according to legend, were crows brought along on some longship voyages? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Nine Passengers Sucked Out of Plane When It Rips Open Mid-Flight (1989)Sixteen minutes after taking off for New Zealand from Honolulu, Hawaii, United Airlines flight 811 experienced a cargo door failure and explosive decompression that resulted in the ejection of a number of seats, nine of them occupied, from the aircraft. The pilots initially thought a bomb had been detonated on board and would later learn that design flaws and faulty wiring were to blame for the catastrophe that took place on their flight. How might United have averted this disaster? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jacques de Vaucanson (1709)The mechanically gifted 10th child of a French glove-maker, Vaucanson created some of the world's first robots. His famous gold-plated "Digesting Duck" had hundreds of moving parts and could eat, drink, and defecate. In 1745, weavers pelted Vaucanson with stones when he created the first fully-automated loom, which utilized punch-card technology. Decades later, his ideas would prove pivotal to the Industrial Revolution. How many songs could his mechanical flutist perform? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 To flatter and follow others, without being flattered and followed in turn, is but a state of half enjoyment.Jane Austen (1775-1817) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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make (one's) own way— To advance or progress, especially through life, according to one's own efforts, inclinations, or designs. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Maslenisa (Russian Butter Week) (2020)Carnival is known as Butter Week or Maslenitsa in Russia because Russians consume so many rich foods throughout this week, the last before the Lenten fast. Bliny, Russian-style pancakes served with sour cream or butter, are eaten all week long and have come to symbolize the feast. In many areas people enjoy winter sports such as sledding, ice skating, and snowball fights. In some places people mark the end of Carnival by making huge hand-sewn dolls that represent winter and tossing them onto burning bonfires. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: keyboardfallboard - The hinged protective covering that protects the keyboard of a piano when it is not being played. More... finger board - The part of a stringed instrument against which the fingers press the strings to vary the tone—as well as the keyboard of a piano, organ, etc. More... home key - The home key is either of two keys on a keyboard acting as the base position for one's fingers in touch-typing (left F, right J). More... octothorpe - The pound key on a keyboard or keypad is technically an octothorpe. More... | |