Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, April 24, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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pauperism
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Auxiliary Verbs - MustThe modal verb "must" is most often used to express necessity—i.e., that something has to happen or be the case. When is "must" used in interrogative sentences? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Radiocarbon DatingRadiocarbon dating is a method for determining the age of carbonaceous materials—especially ancient archaeological specimens—that relies on the presence of a naturally occurring isotope called carbon-14. After an organism dies, the amount of carbon-14 in its remains gradually decreases through radioactive beta decay. Measuring the amount of carbon-14 in an organism's remains thus allows scientists to determine how long it has been dead. How do atomic bombs affect atmospheric carbon-14 levels? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Hubble Space Telescope Launched (1990)The Hubble Space Telescope is the most sophisticated optical observatory ever placed into orbit around Earth, able to view star material some 10 to 12 billion light years away. Because it is above Earth's obscuring atmosphere, it can obtain images that are much brighter, clearer, and more detailed than ground-based telescope images. Although a defect in the primary mirror initially caused it to produce fuzzy images, a 1993 shuttle mission fixed this. What are some of Hubble's most famous images? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 William Joyce (1906)Born in the US and taken to the UK as a child, Joyce became involved with the fascist movement as a teen and fled to Germany before the outbreak of WWII. He remained there throughout the war, broadcasting Nazi propaganda in English from Berlin. He was captured by British soldiers in 1945 and, despite his American birth, was deemed subject to British jurisdiction because he held a British passport. He was convicted of treason and hanged. What urban legends about Joyce circulated during the war? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The gambling known as business looks with austere disfavor upon the business known as gambling.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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connect up— To attach or link something to something else. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Armenian Martyrs' Day (2019)Armenian Martyrs' Day is a day of remembrance for the one million Armenians who died in the Turkish massacre of 1915-16. On April 24, 1915, Turks arrested Armenian political and intellectual leaders in Istanbul, killing 250 of them. That was the start of deportations, forced marches in the desert, and imprisonments that killed half the Armenian population in Turkey. Armenian communities throughout the world observe this day. In the US, many state governors issue proclamations of remembrance; there are also special services in Armenian churches. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: specialartificial language - An invented language, as opposed to a hereditary one, intended for a special use, as in international communication, a secret society, or computer programming. More... auspicious, propitious - Auspicious implies success in the future, while propitious means favorable conditions are present; auspicious means promising or of good omen—not just special or memorable. More... niche product - A product that is made and marketed for use in a small and specialized but profitable market. More... | |