Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, January 9, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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diluent
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Linking VerbsLinking verbs (also known as copulas or copular verbs) are used to describe the state of being of the subject of a clause. What is the most common linking verb? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Rabbit-Proof FenceWhen Thomas Austin released 24 rabbits onto his Australian farm in 1859, he was unaware of the damage they would cause to the Australian ecosystem. Within 35 years, the rabbits, which had no natural predators in Australia, spread throughout the mainland and destroyed millions of acres of farmland. In 1901, construction began on a fence that would traverse Western Australia from north to south and was intended to contain the rabbits east of the barrier. What animal was used to inspect the fence? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Davy Lamp Tested at Hebburn Colliery (1816)The Davy lamp was an early safety lamp used in the mining and quarrying industries. It was designed by English chemist and physicist Sir Humphrey Davy to prevent the accidental ignition of flammable gases. This was achieved by enclosing the flame of the oil-burning lamp in wire gauze that distributed heat over a large area and brought its temperature below the ignition temperature of methane. Why did the introduction of the Davy lamp initially lead to an increase in the rate of mining accidents? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Richard Milhous Nixon (1913)After serving as vice president of the US under Dwight D. Eisenhower, Nixon ran for president but lost to John F. Kennedy in 1960. He was elected president in 1968 and 1972, but his second term was cut short by the Watergate scandal, which involved the burglary and wiretapping of Democratic party headquarters. Likely facing impeachment, he became the first president to resign. Although never convicted, he was pardoned by his successor, Gerald Ford. What pet did Nixon receive as a political gift? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There is a healthful hardiness about real dignity that never dreads contact and communion with others, however humble.Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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good-natured— Of or having a kindly, affable, beneficent, and/or obliging propensity, inclination, or personality. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Black Nazarene Fiesta (2020)The Fiesta of Quiapo District is the largest festival in Manila, Philippines. It is held each year in honor of the Quiapo District's patron saint, the Black Nazarene, a life-sized statue of Jesus carved from blackwood, whose shrine is located in Quiapo’s baroque church. The traditional nine-day fiesta features nightly cultural events, band concerts, and fireworks. On the last day of the festival, January 9, there is a procession of barefoot men pulling a carriage that holds the 200-year-old statue on the way to Calvary. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: wind instrumentorgan - Comes from Latin organum, from Greek oganon, "implement, instrument, tool"; it was first a very general term, but was then used for "wind instrument" and "functional part of the body." More... poop - Once had the meaning "to make an abrupt sound, as from a wind instrument." More... bell - The flared open end of a wind instrument. More... tootle - To toot continuously, as notes on a wind instrument. More... | |