Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, June 19, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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cajolery
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Present Simple TenseThe present simple tense (also called the simple present tense) is used when we speak about habits, general facts, and timetables. Why is it called the present "simple"? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Sharbat Gula, "Afghan Girl"Sharbat Gula appeared on the iconic June 1985 cover of National Geographic magazine staring intensely with her striking green eyes. The haunting photo emphasized the suffering of Afghan refugees during the Soviet invasion. According to Gula, it was the only photo ever taken of her. Until photographer Steve McCurry located her in 2002, she was simply known as the "Afghan Girl" whose portrait he had captured at a refugee camp in Pakistan. How old was she in the famous photo? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Mexican Emperor Maximilian I Executed by Firing Squad (1867)In the 1860s, France sought to establish an empire in Mexico. Ferdinand Maximilian, an Austrian navy chief and member of the Habsburg dynasty, accepted Napoleon III's offer of the throne, naively believing that the Mexicans had voted him their king. In reality, Maximilian's only support came from the French army, and the empire was doomed. In 1866, Napoleon withdrew his troops. Maximilian refused to abdicate and was captured and executed, ending the empire. What were his last words? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Wallis Simpson (1896)Simpson was an American socialite for whom English King Edward VIII voluntarily abdicated the throne. Their relationship caused a furor in England because the Church of England at the time did not allow people with living ex-spouses to marry, and, as king, Edward was also head of the church. Simpson's two ex-husbands were still alive when she married Edward on June 3, 1937, just six months after he relinquished his title. How did Wallis and Edward spend the rest of their lives together? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 What one man can invent another can discover.Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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living the dream— Leading an extremely ideal life, especially in relation to one's career. (Sometimes said ironically to mean the opposite.) More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Juneteenth (2021)Although President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, it wasn't until two years later that the word reached the slaves in Texas. General Gordon Granger arrived in Galveston on June 19, 1865 with the intention of forcing slave owners to release their slaves, and the day has been celebrated since that time in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and other parts of the Deep South under the nickname "Juneteenth." Observed primarily in African-American communities, Juneteenth festivities usually include parades, picnics, and baseball games. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: stoppagearmistice - Comes from Latin armistitium—from arma, "arms," and -stitium, "stoppage"—and means a temporary cessation from fighting or the use of arms, or a short truce. More... solstice - Derived from Latin sol, "Sun," and stitium, as the Sun appears to stand still on the first day of winter. More... epoch - Pronounced EH-puhk, it is from Greek epokhe, "fixed point in time, stoppage," and it was first the initial point in a chronology from which succeeding years were numbered. More... stasis - A period of inactivity or equilibrium, from Greek histanai, "stoppage." More... | |