Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, April 28, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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redolent
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Demonstrative PronounsDemonstrative pronouns are pronouns used to replace nouns or noun phrases in a sentence, representing that which is nearby or far away in space or time. Because demonstrative pronouns are less specific than the nouns or noun phrases they replace, what must be used for clarity? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Hammond Circus Train WreckOn June 22, 1918, a locomotive pulling 20 empty passenger cars rear-ended the Hagenbeck-Wallace circus train near Hammond, Indiana. The wreck and subsequent fire—likely ignited by the oil lamps in the circus train's wooden sleeping cars—resulted in 86 deaths and 127 injuries. Most of the dead were buried five days later in a nearby cemetery in a section called Showmen's Rest, which had been purchased by the Showmen's League of America just months earlier. What caused the collision? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Assassination of Conrad of Montferrat, King of Jerusalem (1192)Conrad of Montferrat was a northern Italian nobleman and one of the major participants in the Third Crusade. In 1189, he joined Guy of Lusignan at the siege of Akko, but a year later he sought to displace Guy as king of Jerusalem. To establish a claim to the crown, he married Isabella, daughter of Amalric I. In 1192, Conrad was acknowledged as king, but a few days later he was assassinated, and the royal title passed to the two later husbands of his widow. Who killed him? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 James Monroe (1758)Monroe was the fifth president of the US. After serving in the American Revolution, he was elected to the Senate, where he opposed the administration of George Washington. He nevertheless became Washington's minister to France and later helped to negotiate the Louisiana Purchase. With Secretary of State John Quincy Adams, he developed the principles of US foreign policy later called the Monroe Doctrine. Monroe served two terms as president, presiding in a period that became known as what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 We do not write because we want to; we write because we have to.W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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cross (one's) palm— To pay someone, often as a bribe. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Butter and Egg Days (2018)This is a promotional event in Petaluma, California, that recalls the historic days when Petaluma was the "World's Egg Basket," producing millions of eggs that were shipped all over the world. The first Butter and Egg Days was a modest affair in 1983; it now draws about 25,000 for a parade with floats, bands, bagpipers, and children dressed as such things as butter pats and fried eggs. There are also street fairs, an antiques show, an egg toss, a butter-churning contest, and the presentation of the Good Egg award to a Petaluma booster. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: utterarrant - Means "complete, utter," as in arrant knave, "an extremely untrustworthy individual." More... explore - Comes from Latin, meaning "search out," from ex-, "out," and plorare, "utter a cry." More... whicker - To utter a half-suppressed laugh. More... yodel - From Bavarian jodln, "to utter the syllable jo (yo)." More... | |