Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, May 12, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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ApostrophesAn apostrophe is a punctuation mark that primarily serves to indicate either grammatical possession or the contraction of two words. What is a proclitic? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 GerontocracyA gerontocracy is system of oligarchical rule in which leaders are significantly older than most of the adult population. In gerontocracies, political power often accumulates with age. While those holding the most power may not hold formal positions, they often dominate those who do. Such forms of rule are common in communist states where the length of one's service to the party is among the main qualifications for leadership. In what works of fiction have gerontocracies been depicted? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 North American Aerospace Defense Command Founded (1958)North American Aerospace Defense Command, commonly abbreviated NORAD, is a bi-national command of the US and Canada that maintains the sovereignty of North American airspace by providing aerospace surveillance as well as warning and assessment of aerospace attacks. Headquartered deep inside Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado, NORAD was formed in 1958 during the Cold War to provide security in the event of a Soviet nuclear attack. What false alarms have occurred since its inception? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Katharine Hepburn (1907)Hepburn made her Broadway debut in 1928 and became a star with her first film, A Bill of Divorcement, in 1932. She brought a spirited individuality and strength of character to the screen in her roles in films such as Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, and The African Queen. She made eight films with her longtime partner Spencer Tracy, eventually starring in 43 films. No actress has ever won more Academy Awards than Hepburn. How many did she win? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials, heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine, desert us when troubles thicken around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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bear hug— A strong and often immobilizing type of embrace. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Tam Kung Festival (2019)A celebration of the birthday of the god Tam Kung is held at the Tam Kung Temple in Shau Kei Wan on Hong Kong Island. Like Tin Hau, Tam Kung is a popular deity among fisherfolk. He is a Taoist child-god, whose powers were apparent when he was only 12 years old. His greatest gift was controlling the weather, but he could also heal the sick and predict the future. Residents of the Shau Kei Wan area believe he saved many lives during an outbreak of cholera in 1967. His birthday is marked with a grand procession, Cantonese opera, and lion and dragon dances. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: trunkbillet - A civilian house where soldiers are lodged temporarily; a billet is also a thick piece of wood, from Latin billa/billus, "branch, trunk." More... trunk - As a box or chest, it was originally made from a tree trunk. More... bole - Another name for the trunk of a tree. More... stocky - A derivative of stock, which first meant "trunk, block of wood," in Old English. More... | |