Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, February 7, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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apprise
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Future Simple TenseThe simplest way we create the future simple tense is by using the modal verb "will" + the bare infinitive (without "to") of the main verb of the sentence. How else can the future simple tense be formed? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The History of the Jelly BeanThe jelly bean is a type of confection that has a hardened sugar coating over a chewy center. “Turkish Delight,” a Middle Eastern candy consisting of jellylike cubes covered with powdered sugar, likely inspired the gummy interior of the jelly bean. It is generally thought that jelly beans first became popular in 1861 when Boston confectioner William Schrafft urged people to send his jelly beans to soldiers during the American Civil War. When did jelly beans become associated with Easter? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Cripple Creek Miners' Strike (1894)In 1891, gold was discovered on a cattle ranch in Cripple Creek, Colorado, creating one of the richest camps of a major gold-producing area. Two years later, the Western Federation of Miners (WFM) was established by the merger of several local miners' unions in the Rocky Mountain states. In 1894, the WFM led a five-month strike in Cripple Creek, resulting in a victory for the miners. The strike began when mine owners attempted to lengthen the work day—with no increase in pay—to how many hours? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder (1867)Wilder was the American author of a classic series of children's books based on her childhood. Born in Wisconsin after the Civil War, she traveled with her pioneer family throughout the Midwest by covered wagon for years before settling in the Dakota Territory. As a farmer and mother she struggled for years. Her first novel, Little House in the Big Woods was not published until 1932, when she was 65. How many of her books, which spawned a popular TV show, were published after her death? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Conscience—the only incorruptible thing about us.Henry Fielding (1707-1754) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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grand poobah— The most important or powerful person in a group, organization, business, or movement (e.g., the boss, leader, etc.). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Finnish Sliding Festival (2016)Patterned after the traditional event in Finland that celebrates Shrove Tuesday before the beginning of Lent, the Finnish Sliding Festival, or Laskiainen, has been held in White, Minnesota, every winter for more than 50 years. It features two large ice slides, which are constructed at the edge of Loon Lake. People bring their sleds or toboggans for an exciting ride down the slide onto the frozen lake. Other activities at the weekend event include log-sawing contests, Finnish music and dance performances, and traditional Finnish foods, such as oven pancakes and pea soup. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: plasticaglet - The plastic or metal covering on the end of a shoelace (formerly called the point) that makes it easier to thread through the eyelet holes. More... plastic - From Greek plastos, "to form, mold." More... plastic surgery - Dates to 1837; "plastic" is used in the sense of "molding, shaping." More... velo binding - A type of document fastener using a narrow strip of plastic on the front and back and attached with thin plastic pegs through the pages; also called velobind. More... | |