Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, December 16, 2023)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ambage
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Superlative AdverbsSuperlative adverbs, like superlative adjectives, are used to describe differences among three or more people or things. Superlative adjectives describe the highest (or lowest) degree of an attribute among multiple nouns. What do superlative adverbs describe? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 War ElephantsElephants were first used in military campaigns in India around 1100 BCE. At the 331 BCE Battle of Gaugamela, Alexander the Great's forces faced 15 war elephants. Recognizing the large pachyderms' military value, Alexander began employing them in his own campaigns. The elephants' thick hides made them extremely difficult to kill or neutralize, and they easily trampled opposing forces as they charged through enemy lines. How did the Megarians use pigs to combat war elephants? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Great White Fleet Begins Its Circumnavigation of the Globe (1907)Just seven years before the start of World War I, a fleet of 16 American battleships took part in a 14-month, round-the-world voyage ordered by US President Theodore Roosevelt as a peaceful display of American naval power. Later known as the "Great White Fleet," the ships were painted white except for the gilded scrollwork on their bows. In ports around the world, thousands of people turned out to see the ships when they arrived. Why did several of the ships make an unscheduled stop in Italy? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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_hires.jpg) Jane Austen (1775)Austen was a prominent English novelist whose writing is noted for its wit, realism, shrewd sympathy, and brilliant prose style. Though she received little public recognition in her own lifetime—her books were published anonymously—she is now regarded as one of the great masters of the English novel. Several of her works, including Pride and Prejudice, have been adapted for film. Before her death, Austen suffered from a protracted, unexplained illness. What might have caused it? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I have come to have the firm conviction that vanity is the basis of everything, and finally that what one calls conscience is only inner vanity.Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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tickle (someone's) funny bone— To make someone laugh; to be humorous or amusing to someone. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Day of Reconciliation (2025)The South African legal holiday known as the Day of Reconciliation was established on December 16, 1838, in commemoration of the victory of the Voortrekkers over Dingane and the Zulus. The original name for this holiday was Dingaan's Day, then it was called Day of the Vow during apartheid. After South Africa renounced apartheid and held its first democratic election in 1994, the day remained a legal holiday but acquired a new name to reflect its new focus: promoting national unity and healing. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: spottedcheetah - Taken from Sanskrit citraka, "leopard," related to citra, "spotted, speckled, variegated." More... fleck - Of Scandinavian origin, it came from the adjective flecked, "spotted." More... piebald, skewbald - Piebald is being spotted with irregular patches of different colors, especially black and white; skewbald is spotted white and a color other than black. More... pinto - As in horse and beans, it is Spanish for "painted, mottled, spotted." More... | |