Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, December 12, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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inimical
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Personal Pronouns and Subjective CaseAlthough the English language has largely discarded its case system, personal pronouns are one part of English in which the case system is still active. When a personal pronoun is in the subjective case, what is it acting as in the sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The PuttoThe chubby, usually naked infants with wings that often appear in Renaissance sculpture and paintings are called putti. Putto is the Italian word for "boy," and the cherubic putti found in artwork are usually male. Putti were seen primarily on sarcophagi of the 2nd century before experiencing a revival in 15th-century Italy, thanks largely to the work of Donatello, and becoming a common feature of Baroque ceiling frescoes. What other artist painted well-known representations of putti? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Battle of Nineveh (627 CE)The Battle of Nineveh was fought between the Byzantine Empire and the Sassanid Dynasty, the last dynasty of native rulers to reign in Persia. Heraclius, the Byzantine emperor, was able to draw his Persian adversaries onto a favorable battlefield by feigning a retreat, thereby securing victory for his troops. The loss seriously damaged the Sassanids' power. Within decades, the weakened Sassanid dynasty would be toppled by the Arab Conquest. What fate did the Sassanid king suffer after Nineveh? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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.jpg) John Jay (1745)Though Jay initially deplored the growing conflict between Britain and its American colonies, he became a staunch supporter of the revolution once it began. He was heavily involved in early US government and urged ratification of the Constitution. He served as the first chief justice of the Supreme Court, among other posts. Today considered one of the "Founding Fathers," Jay once joked that he could travel from Boston to Philadelphia by the light of his burning effigies after he had done what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Very few reputations are gained by unsullied virtue.Gilbert Chesterton (1874-1936) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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throw a wobbly— To suddenly become very upset or intensely angry and make a big display of it. Primarily heard in UK, Australia. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Fiesta of Our Lady of Guadalupe (2021)Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe is the patron saint of Mexico, and on December 12, thousands of pilgrims flock to her shrine at the famous Church of Guadalupe outside Mexico City. On the evening of December 11, crowds gather for singing and special ceremonies at midnight, which are carried on national television. This great religious festival commemorates the appearance of the Virgin Mary on Tepeyac Hill, north of present-day Mexico City. The story is reenacted in a puppet show each year, and relics of Our Lady of Guadalupe are sold in the streets. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: productivecost-effective - Anything effective and productive in relation to its cost. More... fecund, fecundation - Fecund is another word for "fertile, fruitful, productive"; fecundation is another word for "fertilization, impregnation." More... originary - An adjective meaning "causing existence; productive," or "primitive; primary; original." More... | |