Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, May 18, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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disperse
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Negative AdverbsNegative adverbs and negative adverbials are used to modify the meaning of a verb, adjective, other adverb, or entire clause in a negative way. What are double negatives? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 PizzaPizza is a baked pie of Italian origin consisting of a shallow breadlike crust covered with toppings such as seasoned tomato sauce and cheese, and often peppers, sausage, and mushrooms. Popular throughout the world, pizza is now a symbol of cultural variation. In Brazil, pizzas may be topped with chocolate; in South Korea, sweet potato puree is popular; in Scotland, the "pizza supper" consists of French fries and a deep-fried frozen pizza. What toppings are popular in Sweden? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Mount Saint Helens Erupts (1980)Beginning in mid-March 1980, a series of earth tremors and steam explosions at Washington's Mount Saint Helens suggested that the volcano—dormant since 1857—was on the verge of erupting. Then, on May 18, the entire north side of the mountain exploded in a cloud of ash, rock, and fiery gases that collapsed a good part of it and carried debris for many miles. About 60 people were killed, and millions of tons of ash blanketed much of the American northwest. How far did the ash eventually spread? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Gertrude Käsebier (1852)Käsebier was one of the most influential American photographers of the early 20th century and a promoter of photography as a career for women. She photographed famous figures like the sculptor Auguste Rodin and American showman Buffalo Bill, but she is best known for her evocative images of motherhood and portraits of Native Americans. In 1899, Alfred Stieglitz declared her "the leading artistic portrait photographer of the day," but a decade later, he was speaking out against her work. Why? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The passions may rage furiously, like true heathens, as they are; and the desires may imagine all sorts of vain things: but judgement shall still have the last word in every argument, and the casting vote in every decision.Charlotte Bronte (1816-1855) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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No good deed goes unpunished.— Due to the cruelty, ignorance, or selfishness of the world or others, one's good deeds or good intentions will often result in more trouble than they are worth. An ironic and sardonic twist on the more standard moral that "no good deed goes unrewarded." More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Toshogu Haru-No-Taisai (2016)This festival provides the most spectacular display of ancient samurai costumes and weaponry in Japan. The Toshogu Shrine, in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, was built in 1617 to house the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), the first of the Tokugawa shoguns. On the first day of the festival, dignitaries and members of the Tokugawa family make offerings to the deities of the shrine, and warriors on horseback shoot at targets with bows and arrows. The next morning, more than 1,000 people take part in the procession from Toshogu to Futarasan Shrine, including hundreds of samurai warriors. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: prizeathlete - Derived from Greek athlon, "prize" or "contest"—which also gives us triathlon (etc.); it should be pronounced ATH-leet—with two syllables, not three. More... cakewalk - Started out as a competitive dance whose winner got a cake as a prize. More... premium - First meant "prize, reward." More... taking the cake - Once meant literally winning the prize of a cake, awarded in a cakewalk. More... | |