Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, June 20, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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necropsy
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using the Present Perfect Tense with "For" and "Since"In English, we use the present perfect simple with the prepositions "for" and "since" when we speak about something that started in the past and is still true now. "For" is used to specify the duration of time leading up to the present. When is "since" used? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Lernaean HydraIn Greek and Roman mythology, the Hydra was a giant, multi-headed serpent-like monster that lived in the swamps of Lerna. Its breath and blood were toxic, and it terrorized the region for years. The goddess Hera had hoped it would kill Heracles, one of the many children her husband Zeus had fathered as a result of an extramarital affair. Heracles—also known as Hercules—was sent to slay the creature, but each time he cut off one of its heads, two more grew back. How did he finally kill the Hydra? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Battle of Chalons (451 CE)Perhaps one of the most important battles of late antiquity, the Battle of Chalons is known only from written records and its exact location remains a mystery, though it probably took place in northeastern France. In this battle, the Romans and Visigoths stopped the advance of the Huns under Attila and, some say, preserved Western civilization. The battle was brutal, and legend holds that the ghosts of the dead continued to fight for days. By some accounts, the battle was fought over what woman? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Errol Flynn (1909)As a young man, the Australian-born Flynn led an adventurous life, pursuing various careers in the Pacific before taking up acting in England. He soon became a Hollywood star, playing swashbuckling heroes in such films as Captain Blood and Robin Hood. Scandals involving drinking and womanizing marred his reputation, and his career faltered until a lauded return in The Sun Also Rises in 1957. Numerous legends surround the circumstances of his death. What were his last words? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 That is one good thing about this world...there are always sure to be more springs.Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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not as black as (one) is painted— Not as evil, malicious, or malignant as one is described or believed to be. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 West Virginia Day (2025)West Virginia Day is a state holiday in West Virginia to celebrate its joining the Union in 1863 as the 35th state. The creation of the state was a result of the Civil War. The settlers of western Virginia defied the state's vote to secede from the Union, and on June 20 West Virginia formally entered the Union as an anti-slave state. The day is marked with ceremonies at the state capitol in Charleston and at the West Virginia Independence Hall in Wheeling. It was there that the conventions were held to declare West Virginia's independence from Virginia. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: tapfaucet - Probably comes from French fausset, meaning "bore, tap." More... tattoo - In the military sense—of a signal summoning soldiers to their quarters at night—it was originally written tap-too, from a Dutch word taptoe, meaning "close the tap" (of a cask), which was told to soldiers when they were expected to return to their quarters. More... tick, tickle - Tick, as in "sound of a clock," "mark of correctness," originally meant "light touch, tap," and its modern senses are recent developments; tickle is probably a derivative of this version of tick. More... tit for tat - Probably borrowed from Dutch tip for tap, "blow for blow." More... | |