Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, August 6, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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hail-fellow
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Prepositions of AgencyA preposition of agency describes a person or a thing that has caused or is causing something to occur. Sentences containing prepositions of agency are usually written in the passive voice and employ which two prepositions? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Stanislav PetrovPetrov is a retired lieutenant colonel of the Soviet Air Defense Forces. In September 1983, during a tense era in US-Soviet relations, Petrov deviated from standard Soviet protocol by correctly identifying a missile attack warning as a false alarm. His decision may have prevented an erroneous retaliatory nuclear attack on the US and its allies. Investigation of the satellite warning system later confirmed that the system had malfunctioned. What happened to Petrov after the incident? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Gertrude Ederle Becomes First Woman to Swim across the English Channel (1926)Only five men had managed to swim across the 35-mile (56-km) English Channel by the time Ederle became the first woman to make the trip. On her second attempt, the 19-year-old Olympic medalist from America made the swim from France to England in 14 hours and 31 minutes—beating the male record-holder by two hours. Hours before Ederle reached England, the weather deteriorated. A supporter following her by boat called out and urged her to get out of the water. What was Ederle's reply? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Lucille Désirée Ball (1911)Ball was the star of the tremendously popular 1950s television show I Love Lucy. Prior to her superstardom, Ball appeared in many B-movies, earning the nickname "Queen of the B's." With her rasping voice and a comic persona alternately brassy and feminine, she became the preeminent female star of the early decades of television. She and costar Desi Arnaz, married in real life and on I Love Lucy, divorced after the show ended. In what other shows and films did Ball appear? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The winged fairies of Grimm and Andersen have brought more happiness to childish hearts than all other human creations.L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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gym bunny— Someone who is obsessively preoccupied with maintaining or improving their physique and thus spends a large amount of time at the gym to do so. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Busan Sea Festival (2020)Every August since 1999, the municipal government of the seaside town of Busan in South Korea has sponsored a nine-day Sea Festival on its main beaches. The festival kicks off with an opening ceremony featuring performances by popular singers and other entertainers and culminates that night in a spectacular fireworks display. Over the course of the festival, a variety of water sports are offered, as well as the Hanbada Festival for the Disabled and championship competitions in windsurfing and beach volleyball. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: withdrawanchorite - Its meaning of "hermit" derived from Greek ana-, "back," and chorein, "to withdraw." More... cease, cede - Cease and cede come from Latin cedere, "go away, withdraw." More... retire - From French retirer, from re-, "back" and tirer, "throw," its first sense was "withdraw to a place of safety or seclusion." More... take for the kitchen - To withdraw from a conversation or to remain silent. More... | |