Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, April 9, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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inductee
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Irregular Comparative AdverbsJust as there are irregular adverbs, there are irregular comparative adverbs. "Well" is an example of an irregular comparative adverb. What are some others? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The LeathermanFor more than 30 years in the mid- and late 1800s, a figure known as the Leatherman regularly walked a 365-mile route through Connecticut and New York. He was famous for his handmade suit made entirely of leather, and townspeople would save food for him in anticipation of his arrival every 34 days. He lived in caves, which he heated by building fires. Very little is known about his background. Though he was said to speak French, he communicated mostly by gestures. What name graces his headstone? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The American Civil War Ends at Appomattox Court House (1865)The first major engagement of the US Civil War was the First Battle of Bull Run, fought in 1861 partly on the farm of Wilmer McLean in Manassas, Virginia. A few years later, McLean moved to Appomattox Court House, a town which, coincidentally, would soon be the site of the war's effective end. It was there that Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in McLean's parlor. Why did Grant stop Union troops when they began to celebrate the victory? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Tom Lehrer (1928)Despite being a mathematician who led a long career in academia, Lehrer is best known for the few dozen humorous songs he wrote in the 1950s and 60s. He largely tried to dodge the limelight, but his satirical treatment of serious subjects nevertheless gained him a significant cult following and influenced later performers of parody, like "Weird Al" Yankovic. According to an urban legend—one denied by the man himself—Lehrer gave up political satire after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to whom? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I have heard men talk of the blessings of freedom, ... but I wish any wise man would teach me what use to make of it now that I have it.Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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curse (someone or something) under (one's) breath— To say threatening, consternated, or disgruntled remarks (toward someone or something) in a very soft or indistinct voice, such that no one else can hear or understand them clearly. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Bataan Day (2025)This is a national legal holiday in the Philippines, in commemoration of the disastrous World War II Battle of Bataan in 1942, in which the Philippines fell to the Japanese. It is also known as Araw ng Kagitingan, or Heroes Day. Also remembered on this date are the 37,000 U.S. and Filipino soldiers who were captured, and the thousands who died during the infamous 70-mile "death march" from Mariveles to a Japanese concentration camp inland at San Fernando. Ceremonies are held at Mt. Samat Shrine, the site of side-by-side fighting by Filipino and American troops. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: needlegab - In mechanics, a hook or a notch in a rod or lever that then engages with a pin or needle. More... in the groove - An allusion to the reproduction of music by a needle on a gramophone record. More... needle - Has the same Indo-European base as Latin nere, "to spin," and Greek nema, "thread." More... feed dog - The part of a sewing machine that feeds the material under the needle. More... | |