Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, June 23, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Transitive Verbs and Direct ObjectsA transitive verb describes an action that is happening to something or someone, which is known as the verb's "direct object." For instance, in the sentence "I am reading a book," what is the direct object? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Elvis TaxonIn paleontology, an Elvis taxon is an organism or group of organisms that has been misidentified as having re-emerged in the fossil record after a period of presumed extinction. Elvis taxa are not actually descendants of the original taxon, rather, they have simply developed a similar morphology through convergent evolution. Coined in 1993, the term is a reference to the many sightings of Elvis Presley after his death, as well as to his many impersonators. What is one example of an Elvis taxon? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Edgardo Mortara Kidnapped from Jewish Family after Secret Baptism (1858)Mortara, the son of a Jewish couple living in the Papal States, was secretly baptized Catholic as an infant by a panicked servant during an infantile illness. The baptism was deemed valid by the Catholic Church and, because canon law forbade non-Christians from raising Christian children, Pope Pius IX ordered the six-year-old Mortara to be taken to Rome as his ward. Several countries objected to the pope's decision and called for the boy to be returned to his parents. What became of Mortara? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Wilma Glodean Rudolph (1940)Rudolph was the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field in a single Olympic Games. She accomplished this despite having contracted numerous serious illnesses as a child, including polio, which damaged her leg and required her to wear a brace for some time. At the 1960 Games, she won gold in the 100-meter dash, the 200-meter dash, and as part of the 4x100 meter relay. She finished the 100-meter dash in world-record time but was not credited with the record. Why? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Amnesty, n.: The state's magnanimity to those offenders whom it would be too expensive to punish.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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go under the hammer— To be put up for or sold at auction. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Luxembourg National Day (2023)On the eve of this national holiday, Dudelange hosts a torchlight procession, and the castle at Wiltz hosts a fête in the courtyard. Fireworks, parades, special religious services, public concerts, and dancing comprise the elaborate celebration in the capital city of Luxembourg. On National Day, people assemble in the capital not only to celebrate their independence, but also to observe the official birthday of the Grand Duke. The people there identify strongly with their country and speak their own language, known as Luxembourgeois. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: herdcutting horse - One trained to cut cattle out of a herd. More... pointer, point man - A pointer or point man was first a cowboy riding at the front of a herd of cattle. More... egregious - First meant "remarkably good" and "standing out or apart from the flock or herd; eminent"; its later derogatory sense is probably an ironical use. More... herd - As a verb, it first meant "keep safe, shelter." More... | |