Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, January 13, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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sibylline
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining MitigatorsMitigators, a subset of adverbs of degree, are adverbs or adverbials that modify adjectives and adverbs to reduce their intensity, making them seem less extreme or powerful. "Slightly" is an example of a mitigator. What are some others? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Improvised Explosive DevicesFabricated from all manner of munitions and triggering mechanisms—both military and nonmilitary—improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are bombs that are deployed using methods other than those of conventional military action. Though IEDs have been used in conflicts throughout the world, the term is now commonly associated with the Iraq War due to the extensive use of such devices by insurgents. During the Vietnam War, what common household items were used in conjunction with grenades to form IEDs? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Successful Escape from an Aircraft Using the Ejection Seat (1942)Ejection seats are used in aircraft to quickly propel occupants out in an emergency. Today, they are fired by an explosive charge, but the first ejection seats were powered by compressed air. One of the first aircrafts to be fitted with such a system was the German Heinkel He 280 prototype jet fighter. While testing the He 280 during WWII, pilot Helmut Schenk became the first person to use an ejection seat to make an emergency escape from an aircraft. What went wrong during his test flight? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Christoph Graupner (1683)Graupner was a German harpsichordist and composer. After studying law at the University of Leipzig, he joined the Hamburg Opera alongside a young violinist named Handel, then became conductor to the court at Darmstadt. He won the prestigious cantorship at the Church of St. Thomas but was contractually bound to the court, so the cantorship went to another emerging composer—Johann Sebastian Bach. Graupner was a prolific writer and revered in his time. Why did he fall into obscurity? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 But what is Government itself, but the greatest of all reflections on human nature?James Madison (1751-1836) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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on opposite sides of the barricade(s)— Occupying conflicting, opposing, and/or contrary positions on some issue or in some situation. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Stephen Foster Memorial Day (2022)Stephen Collins Foster (1826-1864) was a composer whose popular songs and ballads have found a lasting place in American music. When he died at the age of 37, he left behind more than 200 compositions—among them "Camptown Races," "Oh! Susanna," and "Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair." January 13, the anniversary of Foster's death, was proclaimed Stephen Foster Memorial Day in 1951. In Florida, this day is part of Stephen Foster Memorial Week, and events include performances by musical groups from schools and universities throughout the state. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: rib | |