Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, December 5, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ascendancy
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using the Present Continuous Tense with AdverbsWhen using the present continuous tense, we can add adverbs relating to time between "be" and the present participle. What do such adverbs serve to specify or clarify? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Energy WeaponsDirected-energy weapons are those that transfer energy to a target without the use of a projectile. Types of energy used or proposed for such weapons include sound, radio, light, particles, and plasma—all of which could be used for a number of different applications, including destroying targets, causing disorientation, or disabling machinery. Although many so-called energy weapons are the stuff of science fiction, some are in development or even in limited use. What are some examples? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Flight 19 Is Lost in the Bermuda Triangle (1945)Flight 19 was the designation of five US Navy bombers that disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle during a navigation training flight from a naval air station in Florida. All 14 airmen involved in the exercise were lost. The search-and-rescue flight that went after them also disappeared, along with its 13-man crew, and is assumed to have exploded in midair. No wreckage from any of the six aircraft has ever been positively identified. What did Navy investigators conclude happened to Flight 19? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Paul Painlevé (1863)A mathematical prodigy, Painlevé embarked on a career devoted to science, but he turned to politics after the Dreyfus Affair sparked his interest. In World War I, he held several French cabinet posts and was briefly premier in 1917. He was premier again in 1925 and was later minister of war and minister of aviation. In mathematics, Painlevé ranked among the best minds of his time, and he made important contributions in the field of differential equations. What are the Painlevé transcendents? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing.Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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after a while— Following a certain period of time, usually one that is relatively short. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Faunalia Rustica (2019)In Roman mythology Faunus was a god of the forest who was also associated with fertility. It was believed that eerie noises in the woods came from Faunus. The Faunalia was mostly celebrated by farmers and other rural workers on December 5 with feasting and games. For a time, city-dwellers adopted the festival and observed it on February 13. Faunus was known as the brother, father, or husband of Bona Dea. The Fauni, or fauns, were spirits of the forest who resembled the satyrs of Greek legend. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: jointfishplate - A type of metal plate used to strengthen a joint (from fish, meaning "mend"). More... seam - Etymologically, a joint made by sewing. More... ankylosis - Stiffness or immobility in a joint. More... arthralgia, arthritis - Arthralgia is pain in a joint, from Greek arthron, "joint," which also gives us the word arthritis. More... | |