Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, December 21, 2020)Word of the Day | |||||||
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rectitude
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Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Irregular Comparative AdverbsJust as there are irregular adverbs, there are irregular comparative adverbs. "Well" is an example of an irregular comparative adverb. What are some others? More... |
Article of the Day | |
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![]() The Celestial SpheresThe concept of a spherical Earth was introduced by the ancient Greeks in the 6th century BCE. Hypotheses about its place in the universe soon followed. Ancient Greek philosophers imagined our motionless planet at the center of the universe, with all the celestial bodies revolving around it in a series of nested, concentric spheres. That theory dominated astronomy until the advent of the Sun-centered Copernican system in the 16th century. According to Aristotle, what moved each planet's sphere? More... |
This Day in History | |
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![]() Marie and Pierre Curie Discover Radium (1898)Scientists Marie and Pierre Curie were working with pitchblende, a heavy mineral known to contain the radioactive element uranium, when they noticed something unusual. Somehow, the pitchblende was more radioactive than the uranium it contained. The culprit was radium, a previously unknown element present in pitchblende only in trace amounts—yet more than a million times more radioactive than uranium. What common household products contained radium until it was discovered to be dangerous? More... |
Today's Birthday | |
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Florence Griffith Joyner, AKA FloJo (1959)"FloJo" was a US sprinter whose incredible speed and unique fashion sense left an indelible mark on the running world. She first turned heads at the 1984 Olympics, where her silver-medal performance was nearly overshadowed by her long, painted nails and flashy racing suits. By 1988's Games, however, there was no denying her skill. She set one world record during the Olympic trials and another at the Games, where she also took three golds and a silver. Who is her similarly talented sister-in-law? More... |
Quotation of the Day | |
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![]() Homer (900 BC-800 BC) |
Idiom of the Day | |
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mooch about (somewhere)— To waste time or loiter (somewhere); to spend time (somewhere) idly or listlessly. Primarily heard in UK. More... |
Today's Holiday | |
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![]() Dongji (2021)In Korea, the Winter Solstice falls during the 11th lunar month. Red bean stew with glutinous rice flour balls is a favorite seasonal dish, particularly on Dongji. This food is not only eaten as a means of warding off disease—it is also offered to the family ancestors, spread around the front door or gate of the house, and, throughout the year, prepared and taken to people who are in mourning. The color red is traditionally thought to repel evil spirits and all misfortune. More... |
Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: specializingcreperie - A restaurant specializing in crepes. More... abandannad - A pickpocket specializing in bandannas or handkerchiefs. More... cinematheque - A small movie theater specializing in art or classic films. More... academic press - Also called a university press; a publishing house associated with a university or other scholarly institution, specializing in the publication of scholarly books and journals, particularly works written by its faculty. More... |