Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, November 18, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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dumbstruck
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Expressing Equality Using "As … As"One way of expressing similarities, differences, or changes with comparative adverbs is by using the structure "as … as." What construction do we use to describe two things as equal? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Persian Royal RoadThe Persian Royal Road was an ancient highway built by King Darius I in the 5th Century BCE to facilitate communication throughout his empire. The route, reconstructed using archeological research and historical records, passed through present day Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. The Greek historian Herodotus' praise for the speed of the Persian couriers, who were said to be able to travel the road's 1,677 miles (2,699 kilometers) in seven days, is popularly associated with what US public service? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The King's Cross Fire (1987)Toward the end of the evening rush hour on November 18, 1987, a fire broke out beneath an escalator at King's Cross station in central London. The busy train station was still crowded with commuters, and while many escaped the resulting blaze, 31 fell victim. More than 60 others suffered injuries ranging from smoke inhalation to severe burns. It is believed that a discarded match likely sparked the conflagration. For how many years did the identity of one of the fire's victims remain a mystery? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Wilma Pearl Mankiller (1945)Mankiller was the first female chief of the Cherokee Nation, serving from 1985 to 1995. Her family lived on Cherokee lands in Oklahoma before moving to San Francisco under the Bureau of Indian Affairs' relocation policy. Mankiller became involved in Native American issues there and returned to Oklahoma in 1977. She ascended the ranks of the male-dominated Cherokee society and improved relations between the Cherokees and the federal government. What health issues did she overcome during her life? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Under certain circumstances there are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.Henry James (1843-1916) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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not get anywhere— To make no progress at all; to be stuck or at an impasse. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Latvia Independence Day (2021)Independence Day marks Latvia's declaration of independence from German and Russian occupation on November 18, 1918. The country remained independent until World War II, when it was absorbed by the Soviet Union. Like the other Baltic republics, Latvia proclaimed its independence from Soviet Russia in 1991, on August 21. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: trumpetkazoo, bazooka - Dutch bazu, "trumpet," gives us the words kazoo and bazooka, the latter originally being a form of kazoo that was a long sounding-horn. More... jubilee - Comes from Hebrew yobhel, "ram's horn," which was used as a trumpet to proclaim the jubilee, a year of emancipation and restoration (every 50 years). More... taratantara - The sound of a bugle or trumpet can be called taratantara. More... | |