Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, September 9, 2019)Word of the Day | |||||||
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louver
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Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Infinitive PhrasesInfinitives are used to express an action as a concept, rather than what is being done or performed by the subject of a clause. In this way, they can function as nouns, adjectives, or adverbs. They can also form infinitive phrases when combined with what? More... |
Article of the Day | |
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![]() Solar SailsThe electromagnetic radiation carried by solar wind exerts pressure on surfaces that absorb or reflect it. Though small, this force can be harnessed and used as a form of space propulsion requiring no fuel. Solar sails are lightweight, highly reflective devices that harness this force and, when attached to spacecrafts, may be used to modify their orbits, perform fine trajectory corrections, and even drive interplanetary flights. Has a working solar sail ever been successfully tested? More... |
This Day in History | |
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![]() Elvis Presley Appears on The Ed Sullivan Show (1956)Presley was one of the 20th century's most popular American singers. His first national television appearance was in 1955 on Jackie Gleason's Stage Show, but it was his 1956 appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show that made him a national sensation. His pelvic gyrations caused a scandal but earned him thousands of adoring, often female, fans. That same year he released his first million-selling single, "Heartbreak Hotel," and starred in the first of his 33 movies, which was what? More... |
Today's Birthday | |
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![]() Harland David "Colonel" Sanders (1890)In 1929, Sanders opened a gas station and small restaurant in Corbin, Kentucky. His cooking grew so popular that he soon closed the gas station. By 1939, he had developed a secret blend of herbs and spices and a process for cooking chicken more quickly than conventional methods. He sold his restaurant in 1956 and took to the road franchising his fried chicken recipe. By 1964, when he sold the Kentucky Fried Chicken corporation, he had sold more than 600 franchises. How did Sanders get his title? More... |
Quotation of the Day | |
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![]() W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) |
Idiom of the Day | |
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amateur hour— A result, activity, task, or situation characterized by unprofessional, talentless, or careless performance(s). The term likely originates from or refers to The Original Amateur Hour, a radio and television talent program in the US that ran from the 1930s through the 1970s. Primarily heard in US, South Africa. More... |
Today's Holiday | |
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![]() Democratic People's Republic of Korea Founding Day (2019)The founding of North Korea on September 9, 1948 is observed throughout the country as a national holiday. Much of the observance of North Korea's founding day centers on adulating Kim Il-Sung, the founding leader. The main public celebrations take place in the capital city, Pyongyang, and can include such events as government banquets in the late Kim's honor, political meetings, concerts, and displays of song and dance. Officials and citizens also lay flowers before the monuments to Kim in the capital. Similar displays also take place in towns and cities throughout North Korea. More... |
Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: reversewood engraving - Essentially the reverse of a woodcut. More... contrary, converse, opposite, reverse - Contrary describes something that contradicts a proposition, converse is used when the elements of a proposition are reversed, opposite pertains to that which is diametrically opposed to a proposition, and reverse can mean each of those. More... obverse, reverse - The side of a coin or medal with the main design is the obverse (head) and the other is the reverse (tail). More... vice versa - An adverb, it is a Latin phrase, literally, "the position being reversed; inturned position." More... |