Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, September 24, 2023)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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annulus
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Ungradable AdverbsNot all adverbs are gradable in nature. For example, "absolutely," "completely," "totally," and "utterly" are all ungradable adverbs. These are used to modify ungradable adjectives, and they cannot move up and down on a scale. Do they have a comparative form? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Water ClockThe clepsydra, or water clock, is an ancient timekeeper that operates by measuring the regulated flow of liquid into or out of a vessel. It is believed to have been used in Egypt as early as 2,000 BCE, making it one of the earliest known time-measurement devices. Early water clocks were calibrated with a sundial, and they remained the most accurate timekeeping devices until the invention of the pendulum clock in the 17th century. When did knowing the time become important to the common man? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Black Friday (1869)In 1869, American financial speculators Jay Gould and James Fisk attempted to corner the gold market by trying to prevent the sale of government gold, which they hoped to achieve by influencing President Ulysses Grant. The plan backfired when Grant discovered the plot and released $4 million of government gold for sale. On a day that came to be known as Black Friday, the price of gold plummeted, panic ensued, and thousands were ruined—though not Gould or Fisk. How did they gain access to Grant? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896)An American novelist and short-story writer, Fitzgerald was the literary spokesman of the "jazz age" of the 1920s. The characters in his books—which include This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and the Damned, and his masterpiece, The Great Gatsby—lead madcap, gin-drenched, spiritually bankrupt lives that closely resemble his own. In his later years, Fitzgerald was plagued by financial worries and his wife's insanity. Why might he have lied about having tuberculosis? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 If youth did not matter so much to itself it would never have the heart to go on.Willa Cather (1873-1947) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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soaked to the bone— Extremely or completely wet, especially through one's clothing. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Dominican Republic Our Lady of Mercedes Day (2025)A national holiday, this feast day honors Mary the mother of Jesus, often referred to by Dominicans by her patron saint title, Nuestra Señora de Mercedes (Our Lady of Mercedes). Observance of this celebration dates back to 1615, the year the Mercedians, a Spanish order, established the feast day. Every year the Church of Las Mercedes in Santo Domingo attracts many followers on September 24. Typical ceremonies include masses throughout the day, the Blessing of the Waters, and a procession from the church through Santo Domingo's Colonial Zone. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: studentgrammatist - A student of grammar. More... oenologist - A "student of wine." More... civilian - First a student or practitioner of civil law. More... | |