Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, June 5, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Adverbial NounsAdverbial nouns are nouns or noun phrases that function grammatically as adverbs to modify verbs and certain adjectives. What are adverbial nouns sometimes called? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Technological SingularityThe technological singularity is a theoretical point in the future in which technology advances beyond the human capacity to participate in its development in a meaningful way. Computers will then be responsible for creating new breakthroughs. The term "technological singularity" was first used by computer scientist and sci-fi author Vernor Vinge, who wrote in 1993 that after this superhuman intelligence is created, "the human era" will end. By when does Vinge expect the singularity to occur? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 US Secretary of State George Marshall Announces the Marshall Plan (1947)World War II left the finances and industry of Europe crippled. In 1947, Marshall proposed a plan for the US to finance the European recovery. From 1948 to 1952, it provided almost $13 billion in grants and loans to 17 countries and was a key factor in reviving their economies and stabilizing their political structures. While most of Europe embraced the plan, it was strongly opposed by the Soviet Union and some Eastern European nations. How, according to Marshall, would this plan benefit the US? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 John Couch Adams (1819)Before the planet Neptune was discovered, Adams—an English astronomer and mathematician—correctly predicted its existence and position based on irregularities in the motion of Uranus. However, the credit for the discovery went to Urbain Leverrier, who had come to the same conclusion later but published his findings earlier. In 1846, the planet was first observed by a German astronomer using Leverrier's calculations. A modest man, Adams also declined to publish what other findings? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The world owes all its onward impulses to men ill at ease. The happy man inevitably confines himself within ancient limits.Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have (one's) feet on the ground— To be and remain in a calm, stable, sensible, and pragmatic state or condition; to not be subject to extreme emotional reactions or affected by exceptional changes in one's situation. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Ramayana Ballet (2020)The most spectacular dance-drama on the island of Java, Indonesia, is held on an open-air stage at the Prambanan Temple near Yogyakarta. The ballet is a contemporary abbreviated version of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana, unfolding over the four nights to tell the story of Prince Rama banished from his country to wander for years in the wilderness. More than 100 dancers and players in gamelans (percussive orchestras) present spectacles of monkey armies, giants on stilts, and clashing battles. The rich carvings of the Prambanan temple complex in the background are spotlighted by the moon. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: monkeysmacaque - Based on Bantu kaku, "monkey," and ma, denoting a plural, translating to "some monkeys." More... monkey business - A transfer of the tricks of monkeys to human behavior. More... barrel of monkeys - Monkeys are usually a source of merriment, so if one had a barrelful of them, one supposes this to be quite hilarious; a group of monkeys is actually called a troop. More... see monkeys - To be overcome by the heat while working. More... | |