Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, November 18, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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quaff
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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 Concord Prison ExperimentThis experiment investigated whether psychotherapy combined with the psychoactive drug psilocybin, derived from hallucinogenic mushrooms, could help rehabilitate imprisoned criminals and keep them from recidivating upon regaining their freedom. A team of Harvard University researchers, led by experimental psychologist Timothy Leary, conducted the experiment from 1961 to 1963 at Massachusetts's Concord State Prison, a maximum security prison for young offenders. What were the initial results? 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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 Revenge may be wicked, but it's natural.William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) | |
| 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: lampfinial - The decorative knob on the top of a lamp, holding the shade on. More... pendeloque - A pear-shaped glass (crystal) pendant on a lamp or chandelier. More... lantern - Traces back to Greek lucerna, "lamp." More... match - First meant "wick of a candle or lamp" or "spout of a lamp" before it was the item used to light candles and lamps. More... | |