Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, March 5, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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pokey
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Transitive Verbs and Direct ObjectsA transitive verb describes an action that is happening to something or someone, which is known as the verb's "direct object." For instance, in the sentence "I am reading a book," what is the direct object? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Pursuit of Goeben and BreslauAt the outbreak of WWI, Germany ordered its two ships in the Mediterranean—the Goeben and Breslau—to head for Turkey in an attempt to draw the Ottoman Empire into the war. Meanwhile, Winston Churchill ordered British ships to find and intercept them. The British accidentally stumbled across the Germans near Algeria and gave chase. Why did Churchill later describe the outcome of the chase as more ruinous than any that "has ever before been borne within the compass of a ship"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Meeting of the Homebrew Computer Club (1975)In 1975, computer hobbyists in Silicon Valley, California, decided to meet regularly to exchange ideas. The first meeting took place in a garage. Members of the club would go on to become some of the most influential players in the burgeoning computer industry, including, most notably, Apple founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who formed their company the next year. What other giants of the industry were members of the Homebrew Computer Club during its early years? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac (1658)Originally of the minor Gascon nobility, Cadillac came to America in 1683 to seek his fortune. He became a favorite of the governor of New France, was placed in charge of a frontier post at Mackinac, and eventually proposed the creation of a new fort with a better strategic position against the English. With a band of colonists, he founded in 1701 what would become the city of Detroit. Ten years later, he was appointed governor of what vast French territory? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 An American monkey,…after getting drunk on brandy, would never touch it again, and thus was wiser than many men.Charles Darwin (1809-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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leap to (someone's) mind— To suddenly or immediately materialize in someone's mind. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Vanuatu Custom Chief's Day (2021)In the island nation of Vanuatu, many islands have rejected European influence and instead prefer to live according to their traditional customs. While these customs vary widely throughout the islands, village life, subsistence farming, a belief in magic, and rule by chiefs are common. In 1977, a National Council of Chiefs was set up by the government to ensure the preservation of traditional ways of life. These tribal chiefs are honored on March 5 of each year; celebratory activities on this day include sporting events, carnivals, agricultural fairs, and arts festivals. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: rulerrector - First was a ruler or governor, now it is generally a person conducting a religious service. More... sultan - Comes from the Arabic word for "ruler," from Aramaic shultana, "power." More... Inca - A Quechua word meaning "king, lord, ruler." More... rule - One of many words from Latin regula, "straight stick, ruler." More... | |