Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, February 24, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
excrescence
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
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 | |
|---|---|
 The Four Horsemen of the ApocalypseOne of the most important silent films of all time, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse established actor Rudolph Valentino as a superstar, inspired a tango craze, and beat out Charlie Chaplin's The Kid to become the highest-grossing film of 1921. It is considered to be among the first anti-war films ever made, and its success made producer June Mathis a powerful woman in Hollywood. Why does Valentino scornfully cast aside his partner at the end of the film's famous tango scene? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Party Founded in Germany (1920)The term National Socialist—or Nazi, for short—was added to the name of the German Workers' Party the year after it was founded. On the day it was renamed, swiftly-rising new member Adolf Hitler outlined the party's official platform before 2,000 people, its largest audience yet. During the Great Depression, millions of jobless voters joined the party, and in 1932 it became the largest bloc in the Reichstag. How did Hitler manage to make it the only political party in Germany? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 John Peter Wagner (1874)Wagner was an American baseball player who led the National League in batting eight times. He entered the majors in 1897, and played for Pittsburgh most of his career. Though massively built, he was agile, leading his league in stolen bases five times and scoring almost 1,800 runs. He retired in 1917 but returned to coach the Pirates for almost two decades. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1936. Fans called him "The Flying Dutchman" for his speed, but he had another nickname. What was it? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 To swallow and follow, whether old doctrine or new propaganda, is a weakness still dominating the human mind.Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
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 | |
|---|---|
 St. Matthias's Day (2025)The story of how St. Matthias was elected to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the 12 apostles after Judas committed suicide can be found in the Bible's Book of Acts. There is no historical record of Matthias's deeds or death. His fame rests almost entirely upon the fact that he took the betrayer Judas' place, although legend claims that he was stoned and beheaded in Ethiopia in 64 CE. Episcopalians celebrate his feast day on February 24. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: promisedevout, devote - Devout and devote come from Latin de- and vovere, "promise." More... fiance - French for "a promise." More... gage - In "engage," it means "pledge, promise." More... promise - Latin promittere originally meant "send forth," but evolved to mean "say in advance, foretell," and then "cause to expect," hence, promise. More... | |