Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, June 26, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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inaugural
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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HyphensA hyphen ( - ) is used primarily to join two or more words to form a new, compound word or to provide clarity when using certain affixes (such as prefixes). What is a hanging hyphen? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Pilates MethodOften simply called Pilates, the Pilates Method is a physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century by Joseph Pilates, who believed that mental and physical health are essential to one another. Pilates developed the method during WWI to help hospitalized veterans condition their bodies by strengthening, stretching, and stabilizing key muscles. The program focuses on the core postural muscles, spinal alignment, and breathing technique. What did Pilates originally call his method? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 "Ich bin ein Berliner" (1963)In 1963, US President John F. Kennedy traveled to West Berlin to show support for those living behind the Berlin Wall, hemmed in by Soviet-controlled East Germany. Considered a key moment in the Cold War, Kennedy's speech boosted morale for West Germans, who feared Communist occupation. Kennedy was apparently coached on the pronunciation of the famous line "Ich bin ein Berliner"—"I am a Berliner"—just before taking the stage. Why has it been reported that he in fact said "I am a jelly doughnut"? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 George Edward Stanhope Molyneux Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon (1866)An enthusiastic amateur Egyptologist, Carnarvon was an English aristocrat who funded several excavations in Egypt. After pursuits in Thebes, he joined forces with English Egyptologist Howard Carter to search for Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings. In 1922, the two opened the young Pharaoh's crypt, discovering treasures unsurpassed in the history of archaeology. Carnarvon's death a year after the discovery became linked to the legendary "Mummy's Curse." What really killed him? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 My father taught in the wise way which unfolds what lies in the child's nature, as a flower blooms, rather than crammed it, like a Strasbourg goose, with more than it could digest.Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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loaded word— A word that carries additional emotional weight or significance—whether positive or negative—beyond its literal meaning. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Madagascar Independence Day (2021)This national holiday commemorates Madagascar's independence from France on this day in 1960. Republic Day is another public holiday in Madagascar, held on December 30, the day the new constitution went into effect. The country became a republic in 1975. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: umbrellaumbrella - Etymologically, it is a "little shadow." More... parapluie - A French word for umbrella, derived from Latin pluvia, "rain." More... bumbershoot - Another word for umbrella, formed by combining an alteration of the word umbrella and an alteration of the word parachute. More... nuclear umbrella - A protective status in which a nuclear state promises to use its arsenal to defend an ally without nuclear capabilities. More... | |