Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, June 28, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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charmer
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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ComplementsComplements are words or groups of words that are necessary to complete the meaning of another part of the sentence. What are the five main categories of complements? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Kitab al-Hiyal: The Book of Ingenious DevicesThe Book of Ingenious Devices was a large, illustrated work on mechanical devices, including automata, published in the 9th century by three brothers. The work was completed at the Bayt al-Hikma—House of Wisdom—in Baghdad under the Abbasid Caliphate. Translated into English in 1979, the book describes approximately 100 devices and how to use them. Although some of the devices were inspired by earlier Greek inventions, many were newly conceived, including what unusual contraptions? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Romania Cedes Bessarabia to the USSR (1940)After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the region of Bessarabia declared its independence and voted to unite with Romania. The Soviet Union never recognized Romania's right to the province and, in 1940, demanded that it cede Bessarabia. When Romania complied, the USSR set up the Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic and incorporated the northern region into the Ukrainian SSR. Bessarabia remained divided after Ukraine and Moldavia declared independence in 1991. Where did the region get its name? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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.jpg) Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712)Rousseau was a Swiss-French philosopher and writer who had a lasting impact on politics, literature, and education. In particular, he strongly influenced the theories of the French Revolution and the romantics. Many of his ideas stemmed from his belief in the natural goodness of man, who he felt had been warped by society. His Confessions, published posthumously in 1782, was a frank account of his life and was a founding work of autobiography. Why was he forced to flee France in 1762? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Nature has left this tincture in the blood,That all men would be tyrants if they could. Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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drive (one's) pigs to market— To snore. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Zurich Festival (2019)This international music, dance, and theater festival in Switzerland was founded in 1909 by Alfred Reucker, director at the time of the Zurich Opera House. It was patterned after the Bayreuth Festival, with the primary emphasis on opera, but since that time it has expanded to include orchestral and chamber music, vocal and instrumental recitals, ballet, and art exhibits. Exhibits in city museums are set up to coincide with the festival, and there are master classes for young musicians. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pleaseamuse-bouche, amuse-guele - Amuse-bouche and amuse-guele both mean literally "something to please the mouth," and both refer to an appetizer or pre-meal tidbit. More... like - Comes from Germanic likam, "appearance, body, form"; the verb came from likojam, which, as like, originally meant "please." More... love - From Old English lufu, connected with Sanskrit lubh, "to desire," and Latin lubere, "to please." More... | |