Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, January 2, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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travail
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Uncountable NounsNouns that cannot be divided or counted as individual elements or separate parts are called uncountable nouns (also known as mass nouns or non-count nouns). Why is it incorrect to use third-person plural pronouns with uncountable nouns? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The United States Secret ServiceThe Secret Service was originally established in 1865 under the Department of the Treasury, with the primary task of preventing the counterfeiting of US currency. It assumed the role of protecting the president after President McKinley was assassinated in 1901. Today, in addition to its original duties, the Secret Service is responsible for guarding high-ranking government officials, their families, and foreign dignitaries. In 2003, the Secret Service became part of what new federal department? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Discovery of the Planet Vulcan Is Announced (1860)To account for inconsistencies between Mercury's predicted and observed orbital path, French astronomer Urbain Jean Joseph Leverrier postulated that a tiny, hypothetical planet, which he named Vulcan, was present within Mercury's orbit. Sightings of Vulcan were reported until 1878, and Leverrier died believing he had discovered another planet. Eventually, however, the orbital anomalies were explained by Einstein's general theory of relativity. After what was the hypothetical planet named? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Mehmed IV (1642)After the deposition and murder of his father, Sultan Ibrahim, 7-year-old Mehmed IV ascended the throne of the Ottoman Empire. Chaos and corruption followed, and though grand vizier Mehmed Köprülü managed to restore order, the empire suffered severe setbacks. In 1683, the Turks besieged Vienna but were repulsed by King John III of Poland, and a Holy League was formed to carry the war into Ottoman territory. Mehmed was deposed after a Turkish defeat by Charles V of Lorraine. Who succeeded him? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is the mark of a good action that it appears inevitable in the retrospect.Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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this, that, and the other— Miscellany; a lot of different, varying things. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Berchtold's Day (2019)In Switzerland, the day after New Year's Day is known as Berchtoldstag and is celebrated primarily by children. Groups of playmates organize parties that feature nut eating and nut games followed by singing and folk dancing. A popular game is the building of "hocks" composed of four nuts placed close together with a fifth balanced on top. The children begin gathering and stockpiling nuts for Berchtold's Day festivities early in the fall. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: tiredlanguescent - If you are becoming tired, you are languescent. More... irk - Originally meant "grow tired"; a possible source is Old Norse yrkja, "work." More... lassate - Means tired or weary. More... late - Comes from Indo-European lad-, "slow, weary," which begat Latin lassus, "tired," before English late, meaning "slow." More... | |