Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, June 12, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
glorify
| |||||||
| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
|---|---|
"Will" and Interrogative SentencesAs a modal auxiliary verb, "will" is particularly versatile, having several different functions and meanings. If we want to make a question, what do we do to "will"? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Tether SatellitesDuring the second half of the 20th century, space agencies began to take a keen interest in the use of tethers in space. In 1992, NASA and the Italian Space Agency jointly launched the first tether satellite, TSS-1, from the Space Shuttle, but a protruding bolt kept the tether—a thin, super-strong, conductive cable—from fully extending. The next tether satellite mission, TSS-1R, was undertaken in 1996 with plans to extend the tether to a range of more than 12 mi (19 km). What went wrong? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
|---|---|
 The Armagh Rail Disaster (1889)In 1889, a Sunday school train excursion in Armagh, Ireland, turned tragic when the train stalled while climbing a steep hill. The crew decoupled the cars, intending to climb the hill with the first few cars and then pull the remaining cars separately, but the back section had insufficient brakes and rolled down into an oncoming train. At least 78 people were killed in the crash, including many children. What had the crew put behind the wheels to prevent the train cars from rolling backwards? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
|---|---|
 Harriet Martineau (1802)A chronically ill woman who lost her hearing in childhood, Martineau nevertheless went on to become a prolific and enormously popular English author. The sister of a minister, she first published articles on religious subjects, but it was her series of books on economics written for the layman that brought her renown. After a visit to the US in 1834, she became an abolition advocate and wrote several critical works on American culture. When she died in 1876, who wrote her obituary? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
|---|---|
 Live, and be happy, and make others so.Mary Shelley (1797-1851) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
|---|---|
moral compass— That which serves or guides a person's knowledge, sense, or intuition of correct virtues, morals, or ethics. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
|---|---|
 Philippines Independence Day (2025)Emilio Aguinaldo (1869-1964) declared the Philippines independent on June 12, 1898. But the U.S. acquired the islands in 1899, and it wasn't until July 4, 1946, that they were granted full independence. For many years, Filipinos set aside July 4 to celebrate their independence. In 1962, the date was changed to June 12. Independence Day ceremonies in Manila include a military parade and the pealing of church bells. After the ceremonies are over, Filipinos devote the remainder of the day to recreation. There are games and athletic competitions, fireworks displays, and Independence Day balls. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
|---|---|
Today's topic: poultryfowl, poultry - Chickens, ducks, geese, pheasants, and turkey are fowl in the wild and poultry if domesticated. More... free range - Supposed to mean that poultry is allowed to roam without being confined and is fed naturally grown crops, consuming only a vegetarian diet. More... poultry, pullet - Poultry is derived from Latin pullus, "young animal" or "chicken"; a pullet is a young hen between the ages of a chicken and a mature fowl. More... alektorophobia - Fear of chickens. More... | |