Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, October 30, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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unprejudiced
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Present TenseThe present tense is mostly used to identify the action of a verb as taking place in the present time. What is the present perfect tense, and why is it so named? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Charles Darwin's IllnessFor much of his adult life, Charles Darwin was afflicted by an illness or illnesses whose uncommon combination of symptoms affected him intermittently and left him severely debilitated for long periods of time. The list of symptoms is quite extensive and includes vertigo, cramps, tremors, eczema, vomiting, and anxiety. Recently, there has been an increase in speculation about the nature of his condition, yet it remains a mystery. What are some explanations that have been proposed over the years? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Bridge Spans the Bosphorus to Connect Europe and Asia (1973)The shores of the Bosphorus Strait were once lined with fortifications built by Byzantine emperors and Ottoman sultans protecting Constantinople. Today, one of the world's longest suspension bridges spans the Bosphorus, linking European Turkey with Asian Turkey. The bridge was completed on October 30, 1973—one day after the Turkish republic's 50th anniversary. A second bridge was finished in 1988. Which American comedian led children across the first bridge during its opening ceremony? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ezra Pound (1885)A major shaper of 20th-century poetry, Pound was one of the most famous and controversial modern literary figures—praised as a subtle and complex poet, dismissed as a naive egotist and pedant, and condemned as a traitor and reactionary. He was a founder of the imagist poetry movement, an editor of several periodicals, and a mentor to many noted writers of his day. Arrested for treason in 1945, he was deemed insane and committed. What did he write during his 12 years in a US mental institution? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There certainly are not so many men of large fortune in the world as there are pretty women to deserve them.Jane Austen (1775-1817) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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feel like a new man/woman— To feel completely refreshed and in good health and spirits, especially after an exhausting or debilitating experience. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Disarmament Week (2021)The United Nations' Disarmament Week, observed between October 24 and October 30, was established in 1978. It begins on October 24, the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, now observed as United Nations Day. Observance revolves around raising public awareness of the dangers of the arms race and the need for international disarmament. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: small piececollup - A small piece or slice. More... cover slip - The small piece of thin glass that goes over the specimen on a microscope slide. More... brioche - In French, it literally means "split up into small pieces." More... stamp - Originally meant "crush into small pieces; pound"; its sense of "imprint with design by pressure" came into play in the 16th century—and is the semantic basis of postage stamp. More... | |