Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, March 24, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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stalking-horse
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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How Adverbial Nouns Modify VerbsAdverbial nouns are nouns or noun phrases that function grammatically as adverbs to modify verbs and certain adjectives. They act as an adverb to modify the verb with an aspect of time, distance, weight, age, or monetary value. What is the adverbial noun in the following sentence? "I am leaving tomorrow." More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Airship Pioneer David SchwarzThough most people associate the invention of the dirigible with German inventor Ferdinand von Zeppelin, it was Schwarz, a Croatian wood merchant, who designed the first rigid airship. His first model collapsed upon inflation, but in 1897, his second prototype flew briefly. Its frame was built of aluminum, a relatively new material at that time. Sadly, Schwarz never saw his creation airborne—he died before its maiden flight. Why do some believe that Zeppelin's design was based on Schwarz's work? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Mont Blanc Tunnel Fire (1999)The Mont Blanc Tunnel was completed in 1965 and became a major trans-Alpine transport route linking France and Italy. On March 24, 1999, passing motorists alerted a driver that his truck was smoking. His cargo of flour and margarine had caught fire in the tunnel. The fire burned for 53 hours and reached temperatures over 1,832°F (1,000°C), trapping drivers and thwarting rescue efforts. The blaze claimed 39 lives. How many people were saved by a man on a motorcycle before he died in the inferno? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Fatty Arbuckle (1887)Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle was a portly American silent film comedian. Despite his size, Arbuckle was physically adept and surprisingly agile. His comedies are known for their rollicking, fast-paced nature, and he was particularly fond of the now-famous "pie in the face" gag. Arbuckle had a lasting impact on the silent film genre and mentored stars Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. However, he is best known for his involvement in what scandal that destroyed his career? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Man sheds his grief as his skin sheds rain.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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send a shiver down (someone's) spine— To cause an intense feeling of excitement, exhilaration, nervousness, or fear in someone. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 National Cherry Blossom Festival (2022)The National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., is held when the cherry trees planted around the Potomac River Tidal Basin bloom. The 3,000 trees were a gift to the city of Washington from the city of Tokyo, Japan, in 1912, and today they are the focal point of a two-week festival celebrating the friendship between the two countries. The festivities include formal receptions for the 52 festival princesses (representing the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territory of Guam) and a Cherry Blossom parade through downtown Washington. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: withdrawanchorite - Its meaning of "hermit" derived from Greek ana-, "back," and chorein, "to withdraw." More... cease, cede - Cease and cede come from Latin cedere, "go away, withdraw." More... retire - From French retirer, from re-, "back" and tirer, "throw," its first sense was "withdraw to a place of safety or seclusion." More... take for the kitchen - To withdraw from a conversation or to remain silent. More... | |