Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, June 3, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Prepositions with AdjectivesPrepositions can sometimes appear after adjectives to complete or elaborate on the ideas or emotions the adjective describes. What are prepositions used in this way called? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Unusual Deaths throughout HistoryThroughout history, myriad unfortunate individuals have suffered unusual deaths in all manner of bizarre circumstances. In 458 BCE, Greek playwright Aeschylus was allegedly killed when an eagle dropped a tortoise on his head. In 1771, Swedish King Adolf Frederick reportedly "ate himself to death." Distinguished as the only jockey to posthumously win a race, Frank Hayes died astride his horse before being carried over the finish line in 1923. What are some other bizarre deaths? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 "Casey at the Bat" Published in the San Francisco Examiner (1888)"Casey at the Bat" was one of the most popular poems in late 19th-century America. Recited in vaudeville performances and later taken up by many celebrities, the poem tells the story of an overconfident baseball player—the "mighty Casey"—who strikes out while trying to show off. Ernest Thayer, who wrote the poem, avoided acknowledging authorship for many years because he thought it was embarrassingly bad. Which two real-life towns have laid claim to being the Mudville mentioned in the poem? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Otto Loewi (1873)Loewi was a German-born American physiologist and pharmacologist. A professor of pharmacology at Austria's University of Graz, he was forced into exile by the Nazi purge of professors in 1938 and began teaching at New York University in 1940. He investigated the physiology and pharmacology of metabolism, the kidneys, the heart, and the nervous system. For his discovery of the chemical transmission of nerve impulses, he shared the 1936 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with whom? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Too often we...enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought.John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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hearing things— Having auditory hallucinations. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Sjomannadagur (2018)Sjomannadagur is a day honoring the role that fishing and fishermen have played in Icelandic history, celebrated in the coastal towns and cities of Iceland. Sailors take the day off, and the Seaman's Union sponsors many events, such as competitions in rowing and swimming, tugs-of-war and sea rescue competitions. Celebrations begin with a church service and a trip to the local cemetery to honor sailors lost at sea. Afterward there are children's parades, dances, outdoor cookouts, and bonfires in the evening. The proceeds from the day's events go to the national fund that supports old seamen's homes. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: maintainedpetite maison - A love nest or a residence maintained for a mistress. More... standing army - A permanent army maintained in time of peace and war. More... parochial school - A school established and maintained by a religious body, from Latin parochialis, "of a parish." More... radio silence - A status in which all fixed or mobile radio stations in an area stop transmitting (sometimes limited to certain frequency bands) for the period of time during which this status exists. More... | |