Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, January 9, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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didactics
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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 Great Wall of ChinaThe Great Wall of China is the world's longest man-made structure, stretching approximately 1,500 miles (2,400 km) along China's northern and northwestern borders. Erected to prevent invasions by northern nomads, it is an amalgamation of many walls built in ancient times and connected by later empires. Averaging a height of 25 feet (7.6 m) and a width of 15 to 30 feet (4.6–9.1 m) at its base, the wall is fortified by watchtowers placed at regular intervals. Can the Great Wall be seen from space? 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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 I'd rather look ridiculous when everybody else does than plain and sensible all by myself.Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) | |
| 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... | |