Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, April 17, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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dolorous
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Slash vs. BackslashThe slash must not be confused with a backslash ( \ ), which is used in computer programming but not in written English. When a distinction between the two needs to be made, what is the slash sometimes called? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Down FeathersDown feathers are the soft, fine feathers that lie underneath the tougher exterior feathers of some adult birds and help prevent the loss of body heat. Because of its light weight, compressibility, and ability to retain heat, down is considered the best insulation material for outdoor equipment and is used in goods such as jackets, pillows, and sleeping bags. The discovery of feathers encased in ancient amber suggests that what now-extinct creatures may have also sported down-like feathers? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Peace Treaty Ends 335 Years' War (1986)When hostilities between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly, an archipelago located off the southwest coast of England, ended, the warring parties recalled their troops, and the conflict was forgotten. Without a treaty declaring its end, however, the 1651 war peacefully became the world's longest, technically lasting 335 years. Despite questions regarding the validity of the declaration of war, peace was officially declared in 1986. What 45-minute war is considered the world's shortest? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Nikita Khrushchev (1894)In the power struggle that followed Joseph Stalin's death, Nikita Khrushchev emerged as leader of the USSR. He became First Secretary of the Communist Party in 1953 and the Soviet premier five years later. He was highly critical of Stalin's rule and oversaw many reforms. Jovial in manner and often deliberately uncouth, he had a brash, extraverted style of diplomacy that became his trademark. Before his removal from office, the Communist Party accused him of mishandling what event in 1962? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Rising genius always shoots out its rays from among the clouds, but these will gradually roll away and disappear as it ascends to its steady luster.Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a people person— Someone who is particularly gregarious, affable, or outgoing; someone with great interpersonal communication skills. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Syria National Day (2022)This national holiday commemorates the withdrawal of French troops on this day in 1946, when Syria proclaimed its independence after more than 20 years of French occupation. It is also known as Independence Day and Evacuation Day. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: measuringcord - An amount of wood containing 128 cubic feet (4x4x8 feet); the name comes from the old practice of measuring a stack of firewood with a cord of a certain length. To cord is to stack or put up wood in cords. More... drosometer - An instrument for measuring the amount of dew on a surface. More... isometric - From Latin isus, "equal," and -metria, "measuring." More... Mach - The scale measuring the speed of an object or fluid relative to the speed of sound is named for philosopher/physicist Ernst Mach (1838-1916), who researched thermodynamics; Mach is the ratio of the speed of something to the speed of sound in the surrounding medium. More... | |