Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, April 14, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ether
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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AppellationsWhen a person has additional words added to their name (known as an appellation), this becomes part of the proper noun and is also capitalized. However, some linguists identify these not as proper names but as what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 SnakesSnakes are scaly, cold-blooded, carnivorous reptiles related to lizards. They tend to be limbless and move by muscular contraction. Though they have razor-sharp teeth, they do not chew their prey but instead swallow it whole with the help of a loosely attached jaw. Because their bodies are tubular, some paired organs must be staggered within the body, and one of the two lungs is generally non-functional and sometimes even absent. Why are snakes associated with healing and medicine? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Donner Party Sets Out on Ill-Fated Journey from Illinois to California (1846)The Donner Party was a group of families from Illinois and Iowa that set out for California following a little-used, supposedly shorter, route across Utah. The shortcut only tired and delayed the party, and while recovering at what is now Donner Lake in the Sierra Nevada, the group was trapped by early snow. Many died, several while trying to get help; some reportedly resorted to cannibalism. Rescuers reached the survivors in February 1847. How many of the 87 pioneers survived the ordeal? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Abraham Ortelius (1527)Ortelius was a Flemish geographer and cartographer who, while traveling with his contemporary Gerardus Mercator, was inspired to compile the first modern world atlas. The first edition of Theatrum orbis terrarium, issued in 1570, contained 53 maps compiled, in part, from the maps of 87 cartographers. A leading member of the 16th-century Flemish school of geography, Ortelius is thought to have been the first to posit what theory about the positioning of the continents? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Nothing is more humiliating than to see idiots succeed in enterprises we have failed in.Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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in the circumstances— Due to the conditions or particular situation; such as the case is. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Takayama Matsuri (2024)Held twice a year in Japan, in the spring and the autumn, the Takayama Festival is famous for its elaborately decorated yatai (festival floats), which are adorned with beautiful fabrics, lacquered wood, and patterned metals. Twelve of these floats appear at the April festival, held at Takayama's Hie Shrine, and 11 participate in the October festival. Some yatai feature performances of kabuki (puppet plays), often performed by mechanical marionettes. A highlight of the festival is the parade of gongs known as tokeigaku, which produce a unique kind of folk music. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: sheetmap - Comes from Latin mappa mundi, "sheet of the world" from mappa, "napkin, tablecloth." More... ream - Used to be 480 sheets of paper and is now 500. More... bed clothes, night clothes - Bed clothes usually refers to blankets and sheets, while night clothes refers to pajamas and gowns. More... portfolio - Comes from Italian for "carry" and "sheets or leaves of paper." More... | |