Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, April 27, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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stepper
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Auxiliary Verbs - WouldThe modal auxiliary verb "would" has a variety of functions and uses, including replacing "will" for things that happened or began in the past, or describing hypothetical situations. What type of mood is used to express hypotheticals and desires? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Disappearance of Donald CrowhurstIn October 1968, Crowhurst entered a non-stop, single-handed, round-the-world yacht race from England. A weekend sailor, he was gravely unprepared in a dangerously inadequate boat but had invested heavily in the race. Realizing he would face death if he continued past Africa but would face humiliation and ruin if he quit, he chose to linger in the Atlantic until the end of the race and then slip back in for the last leg. Seven months later, his boat was found adrift without him. What happened? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Disgruntled Engineer Jams HBO's Satellite Signal (1986)In the early morning hours of April 27, 1986, a Florida electronics store owner moonlighting as a satellite uplink technician decided to protest what he considered unfair programming subscription rates for satellite dish owners. Overriding the signal of the cable network HBO, he transmitted a message to be seen by anyone watching HBO at the time. "Captain Midnight," as he called himself, was eventually fined $5,000 for the stunt. What did he elect to say in those few minutes of airtime? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Herbert Spencer (1820)Admired by some and loathed by others, Spencer was one of the most discussed Victorian thinkers. An English sociologist and philosopher, he was an advocate of the theory of social Darwinism. In his vast, multi-volume System of Synthetic Philosophy, he held that the physical, organic, and social realms are interconnected and develop according to identical evolutionary principles. To describe his theory of sociocultural evolution, he coined what well-known phrase? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A nation never falls but by suicide.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a little leery— Cautious, wary, or uncertain of a given person, place, or thing. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 South Africa Freedom Day (2021)On April 27, 1994, the Republic of South Africa held its first democratic elections. The African National Congress (ANC) won the election, bringing with it socio-economic change that improved the lives of all South Africans, especially the poor. Every year, South Africa celebrates Freedom Day, a public holiday that commemorates the anniversary of the historic day in 1994. Special cultural events and exhibitions are held in various venues around Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, and other locations around the country. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: organsconsensus - Came into English in a physiological sense, meaning "a set of organs" or the "involuntary or reflex actions of the nervous system." More... homogenous - Can refer to genetically related tissue or organs. More... lung - Goes back to an Indo-European word for "light," because of the lightness of the organ. More... sensorium - The seat of common sense, the center of the brain to which sense impressions are transmitted by the nerves from the organs. More... | |