Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, June 28, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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charmer
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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AppositivesAn appositive is a noun that serves to describe or rename another noun (or pronoun) that appears directly before it in a sentence. When an appositive is made up of a noun phrase, what is it called? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Kitab al-Hiyal: The Book of Ingenious DevicesThe Book of Ingenious Devices was a large, illustrated work on mechanical devices, including automata, published in the 9th century by three brothers. The work was completed at the Bayt al-Hikma—House of Wisdom—in Baghdad under the Abbasid Caliphate. Translated into English in 1979, the book describes approximately 100 devices and how to use them. Although some of the devices were inspired by earlier Greek inventions, many were newly conceived, including what unusual contraptions? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Mike Tyson Bites Off Part of Evander Holyfield's Ear (1997)Once a renowned heavyweight boxer, Tyson sought a comeback in 1995 after spending three years in prison following a rape conviction. His first fight with Holyfield in 1996 saw Holyfield, who was in the midst of a comeback of his own, defeat Tyson for the heavyweight title. Their 1997 rematch was temporarily halted when Tyson bit off a piece of Holyfield's ear—and permanently stopped when Tyson bit him again on the other ear and was disqualified. What reason did Tyson give for the infamous bite? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Alexis Carrel (1873)In 1894, French president Sadi Carnot died because surgeons could not reconnect his severed veins after a stabbing. The incident inspired Carrel, a French surgeon, to develop a suturing technique based on methods used by embroiderers. Known as triangulation, the technique is still used today. Carrel won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1912 for his work on sutures and organ transplants. He also developed the artificial heart with what American famous for non-medical work? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Nature has left this tincture in the blood,That all men would be tyrants if they could. Daniel Defoe (1660-1731) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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lock lips (with someone)— To kiss (someone) passionately and at length. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion (2021)The Stonewall Inn was a gay bar in New York City's Greenwich Village that was raided by the police on June 28, 1969. As the outraged crowd threw stones and bottles, more police arrived and subdued what had turned into a riot. Today, the event is regarded as a turning point in the history of the gay rights movement. It is commemorated in New York, Philadelphia, and other U.S. cities with parades, memorial services for those who have died of AIDS, and other activities to draw attention to the ways in which homosexuals have been discriminated against. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: navelomphalos - From the Greek word meaning "navel"—for the round stone in the temple of Apollo at Delphi supposed to mark the center of the earth—it describes the center, heart, or hub of a place, organization, or sphere of activity. More... omphaloskepsis - Contemplation of one's navel as an aid to meditation. More... navel, umbilicus, belly button, omphalodium - The navel is also the umbilicus, belly button, or omphalodium; navel and umbilicus share the same Indo-European root. More... | |