Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, February 9, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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cutpurse
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Prepositions Used for Different MediaWe use the preposition "in" when we are talking about something appearing in printed media. What preposition do we use to talk about something appearing on televised or digital media? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Messinian Salinity CrisisAbout 5.6 million years ago, the Mediterranean Sea was cut off from the Atlantic Ocean, likely due to tectonic shifts that closed the Strait of Gibraltar. For thousands of years afterward, the Mediterranean evaporated away, becoming saltier and leaving massive deposits of salt and minerals on the sea bed until the sea had disappeared. The straight was reopened and the sea refilled during a massive flood 500,000 years later. Today, the sea is still saltier than the Atlantic Ocean. Why? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 USS Lafayette, Formerly SS Normandie, Burns (1942)The luxuriously appointed SS Normandie was the fastest ocean liner of her day and carried such distinguished passengers as Ernest Hemingway, Fred Astaire, and the von Trapps before a twist of fate brought that to an end. When World War II began, the French vessel was docked in New York. The US seized her for use as a troop transport, but a fire broke out on the renamed USS Lafayette during the refit, causing her to capsize. Who claimed to have sabotaged the ship? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ernest Tubb (1914)Born on a cotton farm near the modern-day ghost town of Crisp, Texas, Tubb became an important country musician. His drawling vocals, unaffected lyrics, and espousal of the electric guitar made him a major influence on honky tonk. His radio program, "Midnight Jamboree," helped launch such stars as Elvis Presley. Tubb once drunkenly fired a .357 Magnum at someone in Nashville. Luckily for the near-victim, who was not the man Tubb had been looking for, he missed. Who was Tubb's intended target? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Reason itself is true and just, but the reason of every particular man is weak and wavering, perpetually swayed and turned by his interests, his passions, and his vices.Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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pitch a fit— To become very or unreasonably angry or upset; to have an outburst of rage, frustration, or ill temper. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Hobart Royal Regatta (2022)The Royal Hobart Regatta is an aquatic carnival that includes sailing, rowing, and swimming events, as well as fireworks and parades. It is a holiday in Tasmania, Australia, and is held on the Derwint River in early February during Australia's summer season. Hobart is the capital of Tasmania, Australia's southernmost state. A similar holiday in northern Tasmania is observed on the first Monday in November and is called Recreation Day. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: monkascetic - Pronounced uh-SET-ik, it is derived from Greek asketes, "monk, hermit." More... dean - Comes from Latin decanum, "chief of a group of ten," and Greek dekanos, "a monk or dignitary in charge of ten others." More... nun - Derived from Latin nonna, the feminine of nonnus, "monk," originally a title given to an elderly person. More... monk, friar - A monk stays in a monastery; a friar does not. More... | |