Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, April 23, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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dilettante
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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How to Write Compound NounsWriting compound nouns is a bit complicated due to the fact that they can take three different forms. What are "closed compound nouns"? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 ShamanismShamanism is premised on the belief that the visible world is pervaded by invisible spirits that affect the lives of the living. Intermediaries known as shamans are believed to have contact with these forces and to be able to cure illness, foretell the future, and control natural events. Some societies distinguish shamans who cure from sorcerers who harm, while others believe that all shamans have both curative and deadly powers. What methods do shamans use to make contact with the spirit world? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 "New Coke" Introduced (1985)"New" Coke was the sweeter drink introduced in 1985 by The Coca-Cola Company to replace its flagship soda, Coca-Cola. The move was intended to cater to an apparent public preference for a sweeter soft drink and to combat Pepsi's growing popularity. Public reaction was devastating, with thousands voicing disapproval, and the new cola quickly entered the pantheon of major marketing flops. What happened when Coke's original formula, renamed "Coca-Cola Classic," was reintroduced? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 William Shakespeare (1564)Though his true date of birth remains unknown, the birthday of famed playwright and poet William Shakespeare is traditionally observed on April 23, the same day on which he died 52 years later. Since his death, his plays, such as Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, have been performed and studied all over the world. Some scholars have speculated that Shakespeare did not write all of the works attributed to him. Who do they suggest was responsible for authoring the Shakespearean canon? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is not down in any map; true places never are.Herman Melville (1819-1891) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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salad years— A carefree time of youthful innocence, ingenuousness, and inexperience. A variant of the more common "salad days," which itself is taken from Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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Shakespeare's Birthday (2022)No one really knows the exact date of William Shakespeare's birth, although he was baptized on April 26, 1564, and died on April 23, 1616. April 23 is also St. George's Day, and this may be why it was decided to observe the birth of England's greatest poet and dramatist on the feast day of England's patron saint. Special pageants are held at Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire, where Shakespeare was born and where thousands of tourists go each year to see his plays performed. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: revolutiongyre - A circular movement or revolution; to cause to spin around or whirl. More... rebellion, revolution - Rebellion is open resistance to a government or authority; revolution is a rebellion that succeeds in overthrowing the government and establishing a new one. More... rev - An abbreviation of revolution. More... young Turk - Term for a tyrannical or unmanageable man, based on the members of a party of Turkish agitators that brought about the revolution of 1908. More... | |