Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, May 22, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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shipshape
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Regular and Irregular InflectionRegular inflection is governed by consistent, predictable rules. Irregular inflection doesn’t seem to follow any rules or conventions at all. What are some examples of irregular inflection? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Bengal Famine of 1943The Bengal Famine took place in the midst of WWII in British-occupied Bengal, now Bangladesh, and parts of eastern India. What distinguished the year of 1943 was not that rice production fell dramatically, but rather that food prices soared while wages stagnated. It has been called a "man-made famine" because, according to some, the occupying British both exacerbated it with their actions and failed to provide relief. How many people are estimated to have died from starvation due to the famine? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Johnny Carson Hosts The Tonight Show for Last Time (1992)Carson hosted NBC's The Tonight Show from 1962 to 1992. His personable demeanor and wry sense of humor appealed to viewers, and during his tenure, the show became America's most popular late-night program. The show's familiar formula included sidekick Ed McMahon introducing Carson by announcing, "Heeere's Johnny!," followed by Carson's monologue, and then guest interviews and occasional comedy sketches. How many people tuned in to watch his last show? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Giacomo Matteotti (1885)Matteotti was an Italian Socialist leader, member of parliament, and outspoken opponent of the Fascist regime during its early days. His death at the hands of Fascist hirelings precipitated a parliamentary crisis that Mussolini overcame by disavowing the murder and tightening police control. It could be said that Mussolini's dictatorship began when he crushed the opposition aroused by this assassination. Mussolini's role in Matteotti's death remains a subject of debate. How was Matteotti killed? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Constitutions should consist only of general provisions; the reason is that they must necessarily be permanent, and that they cannot calculate for the possible change of things.Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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get taken to task (by someone)— To be scolded, rebuked, reprimanded, or criticized (by someone). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Fiesta of Santa Rita (2022)Villagers in Apastepeque, San Vicente Department, El Salvador, celebrate Santa Rita's feast day with a dance-drama called the Dance of the Tunco de Monte, or Wild Pig, an Indian dance going back to pre-Christian times. One person dresses in pig skins and pretends to be a pig, while other dancers portray various other stock characters. They enact the chasing and, finally, killing of the pig. At the concluding "feast," the hunter who has caught the pig alternates between praying to Santa Rita for the welfare of the village and cracking jokes. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: swindleconfidence trick - First a swindle in which the victim was persuaded to entrust money or valuables to the swindler. More... swindler, swindle - Swindler and swindle are from German Schwindler, "promoter of wild schemes; cheat." More... chizz - To chizz someone is to cheat or swindle them. More... honeyfugle, honeyfuggle - To honeyfugle or honeyfuggle is to dupe, deceive, or swindle. More... | |