Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, October 31, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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emancipate
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Personal Pronouns - GenderModern English is largely an ungendered language. However, a personal pronoun can be inflected for gender to correspond to the gender of the person. What type of pronouns remain gender-neutral? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Ladislaus I of HungaryNow regarded by Hungarians as the model of chivalry and valor, Ladislaus was king of Hungary from 1077 to 1095. An able king, he expanded his country, suppressed paganism, modified the criminal code, and issued laws protecting private property. In 1091, he conquered Croatia at the invitation of his sister, Croatia's widowed queen. He supported the pope against the Holy Roman Emperor but refused to swear fealty to the papacy. Still, he was canonized in 1198. What miracles are attributed to him? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Harry Houdini Makes His Final Escape (1926)Born Erik Weisz, Harry Houdini was an American magician and escape artist. He was famous for escaping from locks, handcuffs, straitjackets, and even sealed chests underwater, thanks to his incredible strength, agility, and skill at manipulating locks. His strength likely carried him through his last performance on October 24, 1926, while suffering from acute appendicitis. He was hospitalized and died on October 31. What strange occurrence in his dressing room contributed to his death? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Natalie Clifford Barney (1876)Though she was a writer for all of her adult life, Barney is not widely known today for her poetry, plays, novels, or epigrams. Instead, she is remembered for her strong support of female writers and for her openness about her homosexuality. For more than 60 years, she hosted an international salon at her Paris home. The well-attended gatherings frequently featured women's works. She also wrote proudly about her love of women in a way that few, if any, had since what 6th-century BCE Greek poet? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Love means to love that which is unlovable; or it is no virtue at all.Gilbert Chesterton (1874-1936) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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(the) next thing (one) knows— All of a sudden; out of nowhere; without warning. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Reformation Day (2021)When Martin Luther (1483-1546), a German monk and religious reformer, nailed his 95 "theses" (or propositions) to the church door in Wittenberg on October 31, 1517, so many people agreed with his ideas that they spread throughout western Europe and touched off a religious revolt known as the Reformation. As a result, many Christians broke their centuries-old connection with the Roman Catholic Church and established independent churches of their own, prime among them being the Lutheran Church. October 31 is observed by most Protestant denominations as Reformation Day. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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