Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, July 1, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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acquiescent
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Conditional VerbsConditional verbs are used in conditional sentences, which express something that might happen, depending on whether or not a particular condition is met. To denote such a condition, what word is commonly used with one of the verbs in a conditional sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Doctrine of SignaturesReferenced in mainstream medical texts until the late 19th century and currently employed in homeopathic remedies, the Doctrine of Signatures is an ancient European philosophy that assigns healing properties to plants based on the association between their physical characteristics and those of the disease or affected body part. The red sap of the bloodroot, for instance, is said to cure diseases of the blood. According to this philosophy, what ailments are walnuts particularly suited for curing? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Russian State Library Founded (1862)The Russian State Library in Moscow is the largest library in Europe and the second largest in the world, behind the Library of Congress. Its collection of more than 43 million items in 248 languages includes more than 17 million books, brochures, and serials; 13 million journals; and 650,000 newspapers. Its specialized collections feature maps, art publications, printed music, and manuscripts. The library was named after what Russian revolutionary before being given its current name in 1992? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ignaz Philipp Semmelweiss (1818)Semmelweiss was a Hungarian physician who pioneered the use of antiseptics in obstetrical clinics. While working at a Vienna hospital, he became convinced that physicians were transmitting puerperal fever, also called childbed fever, to patients and began insisting that doctors thoroughly cleanse their hands. Though this greatly reduced the mortality rate from infection in childbirth, he was widely ridiculed by his colleagues and left Vienna. When was the value of his work finally recognized? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Exuberance is better than taste.Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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fire hose— A strong, heavy stream of something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Establishment Day (2017)Formerly an occupied territory of the United Kingdom, Hong Kong became a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of China on July 1, 1997. The day is reserved for official celebrations of Hong Kong and its unique "one country, two systems" arrangement with its mainland ally. Large crowds observe the anniversary by turning out for an official flag-raising ceremony displaying the emblems of Hong Kong and the People's Republic of China. There is also a parade featuring traditional drumming performances and dragon dance troupes. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: madnessire, rage, fury - Ire suggests greater intensity than anger, rage suggests loss of self-control, and fury is destructive rage verging on madness. More... mania - Based on a Greek word meaning "madness," ultimately from an Indo-European root for "mind." More... rage - Traces back to Latin rabia, an alteration of rabies, meaning "fury, madness." More... woodness - Madness or insanity, from Old English wood, "out of one's mind." More... | |