Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, September 20, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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prophylactic
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Prepositions with AdjectivesPrepositions can sometimes appear after adjectives to complete or elaborate on the ideas or emotions the adjective describes. What are prepositions used in this way called? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Lapis LazuliLapis lazuli is a semiprecious stone prized since antiquity for its intense blue color. It has been mined in Afghanistan for 6,500 years, and the discovery of artifacts at several Predynastic Egyptian and Neolithic sites indicates widespread early trade in the stone. Powdered lapis was used until the 19th century to make blue pigment and may have even been used as eye shadow by Cleopatra. Today, much of what is sold as lapis lazuli is actually dyed jasper. Where does lapis lazuli get its name? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 Is Launched (1967)By the time Cunard's RMS Queen Elizabeth 2, often referred to simply as the QE2, ocean liner was built, airplanes had already largely supplanted ships for transatlantic travel. Thus, the vessel needed to be more efficient and versatile than her predecessors in the fleet. During her 39 years in service, she completed 806 transatlantic crossings, ferrying 2.5 million passengers across nearly six million miles of ocean. During what war was she pressed into service as a troop carrier? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Elizabeth Kenny (1880)After breaking her wrist as a young girl, Kenny developed an interest in medicine and eventually became a nurse. While treating polio victims in her native Australia, she devised a treatment using hot compresses and passive exercise that differed drastically from the usual approach of immobilization. Kenny later brought her controversial treatment to the US, where it was initially met with skepticism but was ultimately accepted. What actor attributes his recovery from polio to these treatments? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 When we look back, the only things we cherish are those which in some way met our original want; the desire which formed in us in early youth, undirected, and of its own accord.Willa Cather (1873-1947) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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many happy returns of the day— I wish you a very happy birthday and many more like it in the future. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Oktoberfest (2021)The first Oktoberfest was held on October 12, 1810, in honor of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Therese von Saxony-Hildburghausen. Since that time it has become, above all else, a celebration of German beer. The Lord Mayor of Munich, Germany, opens the first barrel, and the 16-day festival begins. Both citizens and tourists flock to this event, which is marked by folk costume parades in which brewery horses draw floats and decorated beer wagons through the streets. Oktoberfest celebrations are also held in cities throughout the United States. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pocketsfishing vest - A sleeveless jacket with many pockets for carrying small objects. More... English billiards - Played on a table with no pockets. More... gnurr - The substance that collects over time in the bottoms of pockets or cuffs of trousers. More... pucker - Has the underlying notion of being formed into "pockets." More... | |