Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, March 3, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ersatz
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Grammatical PersonGrammatical person refers to the degree of involvement of a participant in an action, event, or circumstance. There are three degrees of grammatical person. What are they? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Temple of ArtemisThe Temple of Artemis was a large Greek temple at Ephesus that was said to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The temple, dedicated to Artemis, the virgin goddess of the hunt and the moon and twin sister of Apollo, was a 120-year project started by Croesus of Lydia and completed around 550 BCE. The temple was destroyed and rebuilt numerous times. It was first destroyed in 356 BCE in an act of arson committed by Herostratus. What was his motivation? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Alexander II of Russia Signs the Edict of Emancipation (1861)Signed by Czar Alexander II of Russia, the 1861 Edict of Emancipation granted liberty to more than 23 million serfs, about one-third of the Russian population. The edict extended to the serfs the full rights of citizens, in particular, the right to own property—which they were to receive from the landlords and pay off over time. However, the process by which they were to acquire this land was slow, complex, and expensive, and the discontent it generated eventually helped what revolution succeed? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jamsetji Tata (1839)Tata was an Indian entrepreneur and pioneer industrialist known as "the father of Indian industry." He began his career at his father's trading firm but formed his own company in 1868 and had early success in the textile industry, buying, selling, and setting up cotton mills. He went on to establish the Tata Group of companies, which now has interests in steel, automobiles, information technology, energy, tea, and hotels. A multinational conglomerate, the Tata Group is today based in what city? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Nature is a mutable cloud which is always and never the same.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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all wound up— Very tense and/or nervous. Jittery. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Malawi Martyrs' Day (2015)March 3 is celebrated as a national holiday in Malawi honoring the political heroes who gave their lives in the struggle against British colonialism. On March 3, 1959, British forces arrested prominent Malawian nationalists and other dissidents, precipitating the deaths of more than 20 demonstrators. In total, 51 were killed, over 1,300 were detained, and many more were wounded. Malawians often attend church services on March 3 and offer prayers for departed freedom fighters. In addition, Radio Malawi plays tribute music to remember those martyred during the 1959 crisis in Central Africa. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: sailscrab-skuit - A small, open fishing boat with sails. More... haul - Originally had the nautical meaning of "to trim the sails to sail closer to the wind." More... sail - Once meant specifically "to travel on a ship with sails," and, later, "to travel on any ship"; figuratively, it means "to go through effortlessly," as in, "to sail through the exam." More... three sheets to the wind - Pertains to chains that regulate the angle of sails; if the sheets were loose, the boat would become unstable and tipsy. More... | |