Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, August 26, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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mesa
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Degrees of Comparison - AdjectivesAdjectives can be inflected (changed in form) to compare a quality between two nouns—this form is known as the comparative degree. What suffix is added to the end of the adjective to form the comparative degree? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The BataviaThough the shipwreck of the Batavia, a Dutch East India Company ship that ran aground on its maiden voyage in 1628, was fairly uneventful, the mutiny and massacre that took place among its survivors earned the Batavia a lasting place in history. While stranded on islands near the Western Australian coast, several mutineers persuaded their followers to kill 125 people as part of a plot to hijack the rescue ship they hoped would find them. What happened when the rescue party arrived? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Battle of Katzbach (1813)During the Napoleonic Wars, France battled the shifting alliances of European powers in an attempt to affirm Napoleon's supremacy. The battle between the French and the Prussians at the Katzbach River, however, came about somewhat by accident. On a stormy August day in the Prussian province of Silesia, the two forces stumbled upon one another. The French recovered from the surprise first and attacked despite orders to defend. Their effort was met with a heavy counterattack. Who won the battle? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Peggy Guggenheim (1898)Born to a wealthy New York City family, Guggenheim grew up in luxury, inherited a fortune in her early 20s, and became a friend, patron, and sometime lover to a number of avant-garde artists and writers. She spent the 1930s living in Paris and then London, where she opened her first gallery, Guggenheim Jeune. World War II impelled her return to New York, whereupon she married artist Max Ernst and opened a new gallery featuring her vast collection. Where did she take her collection after the war? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 But curb thou the high spirit in thy breast, for gentle ways are best, and keep aloof from sharp contentions.Homer (900 BC-800 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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make an end of (something)— To stop, cease, or conclude something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Namibia Heroes' Day (2021)To honor those who lost their lives fighting for national freedom, Namibia has designated August 26 as Heroes' Day. On this day, thousands of Namibians gather at Ongulumbashe to celebrate. Representatives from all 13 regions give performances and cultural presentations, including traditional praise songs and dances. A re-enactment of the battle of Ongulumbashe concludes with the raising of the Namibian flag, as the real fighters did after each triumph in the war. In Namibia's capital city of Windhoek, the Heroes' Acre national monument was erected to honor the freedom fighters. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: small roomaedicule - A small room or structure used as a shrine—or a niche for a statue. More... cove - Comes from Old English cofa, "small room," from the Germanic root kubon, and came to mean "small hollow place in coastal rocks," and then "small bay." More... cabinet - Originally meant a small room and came to apply to the group of politicians who met in the room. More... conclave - Based on Latin con- and clavis, "key," as it was first an inner chamber or private room to which one would have needed a key, literally a "place that can be locked up," or a room or set of rooms that can be opened with only one key. More... | |