Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, May 8, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Prepositional PhrasesA prepositional phrase is made up of at least a preposition and its object, which can be a noun, pronoun, or a noun phrase. What is an adjectival prepositional phrase? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 MutationIn biology, a mutation is a sudden, random change in hereditary material, such as a gene, that can alter an inheritable characteristic. Most mutations are not beneficial, since any change in the delicate balance of an organism that is highly adapted to its environment tends to be disruptive. As the environment changes, however, mutations can prove advantageous and thus contribute to evolutionary change in a species. Mutations may be spontaneous or induced by outside factors, such as what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Antoine Lavoisier Tried, Convicted, and Guillotined (1794)Known today as the "father of modern chemistry," Lavoisier was among the first to use quantitative methods in chemical investigations. He stated the first version of the Law of Conservation of Mass, named oxygen and discovered its role in combustion, and helped to construct the metric system. Lavoisier also worked to improve economic and social conditions in France. He was beheaded during the Reign of Terror because, as a member of the farmers general, one of his duties was to do what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Miyoshi Umeki (1929)Umeki was an Academy Award-winning, Japanese-born actress best known for her roles as Katsumi in the 1957 film Sayonara and as Mrs. Livingston, the housekeeper, in the TV series The Courtship of Eddie's Father. In 1958, she became the first Asian performer to win an Academy Award when she won an Oscar for her role in Sayonara. She also played the role of Mei Li in both the Broadway and film versions of Flower Drum Song. Where did Umeki begin her performing career? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Heroes, notwithstanding the high ideas which, by the means of flatterers, they may entertain of themselves, or the world may conceive of them, have certainly more of mortal than divine about them.Henry Fielding (1707-1754) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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storming mad— Exceptionally or uncontrollably angry. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 White Lotus Day (Death of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky) (2022)The anniversary of the death of Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (1831-1891) is commemorated by members of the Theosophical Society, which was founded in New York in 1875 by Blavatsky and Henry Olcott. Olcott and Blavatsky moved to India in 1878, and the international headquarters for the Theosophical movement remains in Adyar (near Madras) today. She completed her most important work, The Secret Doctrine (1888), an overview of Theosophical teachings, along with numerous other books, before her death in 1891. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: thickerconcave lens, convex lens - A concave lens is thinner at the center; a convex lens is thicker at the center. More... plank, board - A plank is thicker than a board. More... clotted cream - Cream made thicker and richer by cooking. More... skin - The term for the thin, tight covering on carrots, potatoes, grapes, and peaches—but also the thicker covering of bananas and avocados. More... | |