Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, August 11, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Auxiliary Verbs - MustThe modal verb "must" is most often used to express necessity—i.e., that something has to happen or be the case. When is "must" used in interrogative sentences? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Lake MalawiThe third largest lake in Africa and ninth largest in the world, Lake Malawi is bounded on the west and south by Malawi, on the east by Mozambique, and on the north by Tanzania. Also known as Lake Nyasa—so named by Scottish missionary David Livingstone in 1859—it is approximately 360 miles (580 km) long with an average width of 25 miles (40 km). Fed by 14 rivers, it is home to more than 200 recorded species of fish—making it one of the most species-diverse lakes in the world. How deep is it? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 "Malaysian Haze" Prompts State of Emergency Declaration (2005)For a week in 2005, a choking, smog-like haze brought the central part of peninsular Malaysia to a standstill. Air quality was so poor that a state of emergency was declared in the district of Kuala Selangor and the country's major shipping center, Port Klang. Residents were instructed to stay home, and schools were closed. Only supermarkets and essential services remained open. Miraculously, Kuala Lumpur's main airport was unaffected. What was identified as the primary cause of the haze? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Friedrich Ludwig Jahn (1778)A German patriot and educator at a time when Europe was actively trying to free itself from Napoleonic rule, Jahn founded a gymnastic society, Turnverein, to build strength and fellowship among young people as well as help foster a nationalistic spirit among members. After Napoleon's defeat, German leaders came to view the once-sanctioned organization as a threat and had its founder arrested in 1819 and a national ban placed on gymnastics. What now-standard gymnastics equipment did Jahn invent? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There is no vice that doth so cover a man with shame, as to be found false and perfidious.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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luck in— To be very lucky or fortunate; to experience particularly good luck. (A nonstandard variant of "luck out.") More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Feast of St. Clare of Assisi (2021)There were a number of women who joined the Second Order of St. Francis, but the first and most famous was St. Clare (c. 1194-1253). She was joined 16 days later by her sister, Agnes; other women, referred to as the Poor Ladies, were eventually drawn to the hard life that Clare had chosen, and the religious order that she and Francis founded is known today as the Poor Clares. Clare died in 1253 and was canonized on August 12, 1255. Her feast day was eventually moved to August 11, the date of her death according to the revised Roman Catholic calendar. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: inabilityacalculia - The inability to perform simple arithmetic. More... impotence, sterility - Impotence is the male's inability to copulate or get an erection; sterility is the inability of either a male or female to procreate. More... abulia, aboulia - Inability to make decisions is abulia or aboulia. More... paramnesia - Can mean the inability to recall the meanings of common words. More... | |