Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, January 15, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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firedrake
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Adverbs of FrequencyAdverbs of frequency (sometimes called frequency adverbs) tell us how often something happens or is the case. They cannot be used to modify what part of speech? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Snowball Earth HypothesisSnowball Earth is a strongly disputed hypothesis developed to explain sedimentary glacial deposits at tropical latitudes from the Cryogenian period. The hypothesis proposes that, about 800 million years ago, the Earth was entirely covered with ice and that multicellular evolution accelerated when the climate began to warm up. Some dispute the feasibility of an entirely frozen ocean and prefer a “slushball” scenario to explain the ice's rapid movement. How could life survive in such a climate? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Body of Elizabeth Short—the "Black Dahlia"—Found (1947)Elizabeth Short was the victim of a gruesome and much-publicized murder that is still unsolved. Nicknamed the "Black Dahlia" by newspapers after her body was recovered in Leimert Park, Los Angeles, Short was found mutilated, her body severed at the waist. The unsolved murder has been the source of widespread speculation, leading to several books and film adaptations, as well as many false confessions and leads in the years since she was killed. From what was the "Black Dahlia" nickname derived? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Philip Livingston (1716)Livingston was a successful merchant who became an American revolutionary leader in the protests against the Stamp Act and other British trade restrictions. Although he was not originally an advocate of independence, Livingston signed the Declaration of Independence and remained an active member of the Continental Congress. He was generous with his large fortune and was a supporter of many causes, including the founding of King's College, which later became what university? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There are several good protections against temptations, but the surest is cowardice.Mark Twain (1835-1910) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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too clever by half— Too contrived or arrogant in one's cleverness or intelligence, to the point of being irritating to others. Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Day of the Black Christ of Esquipulas (2017)For many people in Central and South America, the pilgrimage to the Black Christ of Esquipulas begins well in advance of the January 15 festival. Quite a number make the journey to Esquipulas entirely on foot. Many don wide-brimmed straw hats, to which they attach gray Spanish moss and chiches (breasts), a yellow fruit that resembles a gourd; those making the journey from Quetzaltenango blacken their hands with the juice from a special fruit. Ceremonial sites resembling altars, built from rocks brought by pilgrims, are scattered through the hills surrounding Esquipulas. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: parentabdicate - Implies a giving up of sovereign power or the evasion of responsibility (as a parent). More... half blood - Relationship through only one parent. More... in loco parentis - Latin for "in the place of a parent." More... patrial - Means having the right to live in the UK through the British birth of a parent or grandparent. More... | |