Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, September 18, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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happenstance
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Forming the Zero ConditionalA zero conditional sentence uses the present simple tense to talk about what is always or generally true. It is classified as a conditional because it creates a hypothetical situation to describe what would be true each time something happens. What is the general structure for the zero conditional? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Electromagnetic BombIn 2003, it was reported that US forces used an electromagnetic bomb to disrupt Iraqi TV transmissions. The so-called E-bomb is a weapon designed to disable electronics with an electromagnetic pulse. Though relatively non-lethal, it can cripple critical technology, making it a valuable tool in modern warfare. It is believed that older devices containing vacuum tubes may be more resistant to damage from these bombs than newer, transistor-based technology. How can sensitive devices be protected? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Issue of the New-York Daily Times, now The New York Times, Is Printed (1851)Originally sold for a penny a copy, the New-York Daily Times was founded by journalist and politician Henry Jarvis Raymond in 1851 and has been controlled by the Ochs-Sulzberger family since 1896. The paper shortened its name to The New York Times in 1857. Perhaps the most respected newspaper in the world, it has been awarded more Pulitzer Prizes than any other. In 2006, the newspaper announced that it would save how much money by narrowing its page width by 1.5 inches (4 cm)? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jean Bernard Léon Foucault (1819)Foucault, a French physicist, invented the Foucault pendulum and used it to provide experimental proof that the Earth rotates on its axis. He improved astronomical instruments, especially the telescope, and with Armand Fizeau took the first clear photograph of the Sun. Foucault is also known for determining the speed of light with extreme accuracy and showing that light travels slower in water than in air. He had originally studied medicine but abandoned it for physics due to a fear of what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Nobody, I think, ought to read poetry, or look at pictures or statues, who cannot find a great deal more in them than the poet or artist has actually expressed. Their highest merit is suggestiveness.Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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silver surfer— An elderly person who is a proficient user of the internet. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Almabtrieb (2025)The Return from the Mountain Pasture is an autumn festival that takes place around Salzburg, Austria, and other areas in the German Alps on the day that the cattle are driven down from the mountain pastures to their winter shelter. The cattle are decorated with flowers, and the Sennerinnen, or herding girls, who lead them wear traditional costumes that vary from place to place. Once the cattle are safely in for the winter, the farmers hold welcome-home feasts that are followed by music, dancing, and singing. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: open spacelaund - An open space in the woods, like a glade or pasture. More... step-thru - Refers to having an open space in an otherwise solid object through which a person can step or walk, e.g. a motor-scooter has a step-thru frame. More... agoraphobia - Based on Greek agora, "open space," it was not the first phobia described, which was actually hydrophobia in the mid-16th century. More... concourse - An open space for people to move about in an airport terminal (or a set of gates) or other transport station. More... | |