Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, September 24, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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straddle
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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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 What Lights the FireflyCommonly called fireflies or lightning bugs, the carnivorous beetles of the family Lampyridae are named for their use of bioluminescence when attracting mates or prey. Fireflies are capable of producing red, yellow, or green "cold light" containing no ultraviolet or infrared rays. Approximately 90% of the energy used in the process is converted to visible light—compared to 10% for incandescent electric bulbs, which emit the remainder of their energy as heat. How do fireflies produce their light? 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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 There are two sorts of beauty, one of the mind, the other of the body; that of the mind displays and exhibits itself in intelligence, in modesty, in honorable conduct, in generosity, in good breeding...and when it is this sort of beauty...that is the attraction, love is apt to spring up suddenly and violently.Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) | |
| 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... | |