Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, December 17, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ampoule
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Exclamation Points with OnomatopoeiasWhen we use onomatopoeias (words that phonetically imitate particular sounds), we can use an exclamation point to emphasize the intensity of the sound. Where is the exclamation point placed in the sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 FerromagnetismFerromagnetism is a form of magnetism that can be acquired in an external magnetic field and is usually retained in its absence. Thus, ferromagnetic materials like iron and nickel are used to make permanent magnets. This type of magnetism is caused by spinning electrons in the atoms of the material, which act as tiny weak magnets. They align parallel to each other within small regions of the material to form areas of stronger magnetism. What other substances exhibit ferromagnetism? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Wright Brothers Make Their Famous Flight (1903)Both excellent mechanics, brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright built and repaired bicycles before turning their attention to flying machines. They spent years designing and testing gliders and also built a powerful four-cylinder engine and an efficient propeller. In 1903, after several failed attempts, the brothers succeeded in making the first controlled, sustained flights in a power-driven airplane. How long did the first, history-making flight near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, last? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Sir Humphry Davy (1778)Davy was an English chemist and one of the greatest exponents of the scientific method. His discovery of the anesthetic effect of nitrous oxide was a major contribution to surgery. He did early research on voltaic cells and batteries, tanning, electrolysis, and mineral analysis, and was the first to systematically apply chemical principles to farming. His research on mine explosions and his invention of the safety lamp brought him great prestige. Davy also proved that diamond is a form of what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Audiences are always better pleased with a smart retort, some joke or epigram, than with any amount of reasoning.Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be potty about (something)— To be very excited or enthusiastic (about something). Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Wright Brothers Day (2016)It was on the morning of December 17, 1903, that Wilbur and Orville Wright became the first men to fly and control a powered heavier-than-air machine. Events on December 17 traditionally include a "flyover" by military aircraft and a special ceremony held at the Wright Brothers National Memorial, a 425-acre area that features a 60-foot granite pylon on top of Kill Devil Hill, where the Wright Brothers' camp was located. The flyover takes place at precisely 10:35 AM, the time of the original flight in 1903. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: projectingledgit - A label or memo slip projecting from a book's pages. More... broach - Comes from Latin brocchus/broccus, "projecting." More... eminent - Can mean "projecting, protruding" and is based on Latin eminere, "project." More... eaves - Its etymological meaning is "going over the edge, projecting." More... | |