Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, July 2, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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spelldown
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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SentencesA sentence, whether short or long, must express a complete idea; and a complete sentence must consist of at least one independent clause. What is a simple sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Rani Lakshmi BaiIn 1857, Indian troops in the service of the English East India Company ignited a massive rebellion. They refused to use rifle cartridges thought to be lubricated with grease containing a mixture of pigs' and cows' lard, considered religiously impure. Lakshmi Bai—queen of the Indian state of Jhansi—became an unlikely hero in the rebellion. When a British commander vowed to destroy Jhansi unless its people surrendered, Lakshmi Bai asserted that they would fight to the death. What happened to her? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Suicidal Monk Sets Fire to Kyoto's Temple of the Golden Pavilion (1950)Originally a statesman's villa, Kyoto's Temple of the Golden Pavilion has an exterior of gold leaf and is situated on a pond in a lush Japanese garden. The building narrowly avoided destruction many times in its long history, but in 1950, a young Buddhist monk set fire to it during a suicide attempt. He survived and was sentenced to seven years in prison. In 1955, the temple was rebuilt true to its original appearance. That same year, the arsonist was released from prison early for what reason? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Patrice Lumumba (1925)Lumumba was an African nationalist leader and the first elected prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo after it gained independence from Belgium in 1960. The early years of independence were tumultuous, and Lumumba held his position for just weeks before being deposed. He was later executed by firing squad. His death was not officially announced for three weeks, and rumors swirled about US and Belgian involvement. Who had plotted earlier to kill Lumumba with poisoned toothpaste? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Do we not all agree to call rapid thought and noble impulse by the name of inspiration?George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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the short and the long of it— The essential or most important point being made; the plain truth of the matter. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Bahia Independence Day (2021)The consolidation of Brazilian independence in the state of Bahia is remembered each year with a procession following the path that the Brazilians took when they defeated Portuguese troops there in 1823. Folkloric characters like the caboclo, who symbolizes the superiority of native strength over the colonizers, have worked their way into this primarily civic celebration. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: slopeescarpment, scarp, palisade(s) - A cliff formation or line of cliffs can be called an escarpment, scarp (from Italian scarpa, "slope"), or palisade(s). More... scree - A mass of small loose stones that form or cover a slope on a mountain. More... katabatic - Skiing is a katabatic sport—moving down a slope or valley. More... | |