Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, October 21, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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gastronome
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Relative Pronouns and Relative ClausesA relative pronoun is a type of pronoun used to connect a relative clause to the main clause in a sentence. What two purposes do relative clauses serve in a sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Qianlong EmperorHongli took the title of Qianlong—meaning "the Era of Strong Prosperity"—when his imperial reign of China began in 1735. Ironically, by the end of Qianlong's reign in 1796, expensive military expeditions and corruption had nearly exhausted the funds of the Imperial Treasury. A patron of the arts, the Qianlong Emperor commissioned a catalogue of all important Chinese cultural works that took 20 years to complete and consisted of 36,000 volumes. How many copyists were involved in the project? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum Opens in New York (1959)Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and opened six months after his death, the Guggenheim Museum represents a radical departure from traditional museum design, spiraling upward and outward in a smooth coil of massive, unadorned white concrete. The exhibition space, which consists of a six-story spiral ramp lighted by a glass dome supported by stainless steel, has even been criticized for upstaging the artwork displayed. What artists signed a letter protesting the display of their work in the space? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Sir Georg Solti (1912)Solti was a Hungarian-born British conductor. Not long after making his piano debut at age 12, he decided he wanted to conduct. He returned to piano during WWII and won the 1942 Geneva International Competition. After the war, he began conducting again and led orchestras all over Europe and the US. As director of the Royal Opera House, he made the first full recording of Richard Wagner's Ring cycle, one of history's most celebrated recordings. How did he earn the nickname "the screaming skull"? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 In the bosoms of this people, thus heterogeneously composed, there was burning, kindled at different furnaces, but all furnaces of affliction, one clear, steady flame of liberty.John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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don't get me started— An exclamation of weariness or despair regarding a topic that has just been introduced and about which the speaker feels very strongly and (usually) has a negative opinion of. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Trafalgar Day (2019)This is the anniversary of the famous naval battle fought by the British off Cape Trafalgar, Spain, in 1805, under the command of Viscount Horatio Nelson (1758-1805). The victory that cost Lord Nelson his life was commemorated by the column erected in his honor in London's Trafalgar Square. Ceremonies on Trafalgar Day, or Nelson Day, include a naval parade from London's Mall to Trafalgar Square, where a brief service is held and wreaths are placed at the foot of Nelson’s Column. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: shootingbiathlon - Consists of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. More... off-hand - Meaning "at once, straightway," it probably originally referred to shooting without a rest or support; as "unpremeditated," it is attested to 1719. More... potshot - Comes from shooting an animal purely for food (pot), rather than for simple conquest. More... scope - First meant "target for shooting," from Greek skopos, "target." More... | |