Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, December 4, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ringer
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Collective NounsCollective nouns are nouns that refer to a collection or group of multiple people, animals, or things. They usually function as singular nouns in a sentence, but they are occasionally used as plurals, too. What are some examples of collective nouns that can only be plural? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Molecular CloudsThroughout the universe, new stars are born in cold, concentrated, asymmetrical clouds of interstellar gas where molecules exist in appreciable abundance. These molecular clouds are often so dark and full of dust that light cannot pass through them, and when they collapse internally, new stars are formed. The motions of such clouds are governed by turbulence and gravity, and they can be tremendously large. Within our own galaxy, where are clouds of molecular gasses predominantly located? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 McGurk's Bar Bombing (1971)One of the first major atrocities of "the Troubles," a period of political violence in Ireland that began in the late 1960s, the bombing of Belfast's predominantly Roman Catholic Tramore Bar—better known as McGurk's—killed 15 people and injured 17. The first major attack on civilians by any of the region's paramilitary organizations, the bombing provoked widespread political and public reaction. After losing both his wife and daughter in the bombing, the bar's owner made what televised request? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Thomas Carlyle (1795)Carlyle was a Scottish historian and writer. His adherence to Calvinist values despite his loss of faith in traditional Christianity proved appealing to many Victorians, and he gained notice with his first major work, Sartor, Resartus. Simultaneously factual and fictional, the work forces the reader to confront the problem of where "truth" is to be found and was initially considered bizarre and incomprehensible by some. It had some success in the US, however, where it was admired by whom? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The air of ideas is the only air worth breathing.Edith Wharton (1862-1937) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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heavy-hearted— Sorrowful; melancholy; depressed. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Pilgrimage to Adam's Peak (2023)A footprint preserved in stone is a sacred site at the top of a mountain in Dalhousie, Sri Lanka. Depending on one's religious tradition, the footprint belongs to Adam (Muslim), the Buddha, St. Thomas (Christian), or Lord Shiva (Hindu). Pilgrims have made the climb for over 1,000 years to the summit of Adam's Peak. Though the terrain is rugged, many pilgrims make the ascent by the light of lanterns so they can arrive at the break of dawn and catch a spectacular view of the western coastline. According to local tradition, a woman who reaches the top will be reincarnated as a man. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: triviafactlet - A piece of trivia. More... inconsequentia - Trifling facts or trivia. More... nugae - Trifles or trivia. More... trivia - Derives from Latin tri, "three" and via, "ways." In Roman times, at the intersection of any three streets were kiosks where information was posted for travelers, but which was totally ignored by the citizens—a possible source of its modern meaning; trivia is actually plural and should take "these" instead of "this" (etc.). More... | |