Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, June 8, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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overweening
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Past TenseThe past tense is used to describe or indicate an action that began in the past. There are four forms of the past tense that can accomplish these tasks. What are they? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Martian TerraformingSince the concept of terraforming—making a planet's environment suitable for human habitation—was first proposed, Mars has been one of the primary hypothetical candidates for its application. Although Mars may have had a relatively earthlike environment early in its history, experts disagree on whether present-day Mars can be adapted to support human life. Terraforming Mars would require at least two major changes: building up the atmosphere and heating it. How could such changes be achieved? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Downed US Air Force Pilot Rescued in Bosnia (1995)On June 2, 1995, US Air Force pilot Scott O'Grady was enforcing a NATO no-fly zone over Bosnia when his F-16 was hit by a surface-to-air missile. He ejected and, for the next six days, survived in the wilderness by eating leaves and ants. During that time, he avoided capture by Serb patrols and made contact with US forces. The Marines then mounted a daring rescue and brought him home. The 2001 film Behind Enemy Lines is loosely based on O'Grady's ordeal. Why did he sue the filmmakers? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Francis Harry Compton Crick (1916)While working in a research lab at Cambridge after WWII, Crick helped discover the molecular structure of DNA. It was one of the most important scientific findings of the century, and he shared the 1962 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work. He also clarified how cells use DNA to build proteins. During WWII, he was deflected from his original course of research after a bomb hit his lab. Crick later said he had been studying "the dullest problem imaginable" at the time. What was it? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is a true saying that a man must eat a peck of salt with his friend before he knows him.Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have a gas— To have a thoroughly entertaining, enjoyable, and/or amusing time. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Holland Festival (2020)In 1947, the Netherlands decided to have a single festival focused on three major cities—Amsterdam, Rotterdam, and the Hague—that would cover a wide range of artistic and cultural activities and at the same time draw top international artists to the Netherlands. The Holland Festival is centered in Amsterdam and lasts 23 days in June with nearly 150 programs. The festival offers not only performances of orchestral and choral works but opera, ballet, contemporary music, dance, theater, and film as well. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: sweetheartvalentine - Formerly a person chosen as a sweetheart or special friend, named for either of two Italian saints. More... bully - First meant lover or sweetheart, then fine fellow, then blusterer, then "person who harms or threatens weaker people." More... leman - An old word for "sweetheart, lover." More... piggesnye - An old term of endearment for one's sweetheart, literally "a darling pig's eye." More... | |