Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, April 21, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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intaglio
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using infinitivesInfinitives 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—that is, nearly any role in a sentence except what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 AsbestosNowadays, the idea of being exposed to asbestos strikes fear in the hearts of most. But just a couple of generations ago, people embraced asbestos-containing materials for their fire-and corrosion-resistant properties. Asbestos—a product obtained from a family of fibrous hydrated silicates—was used in fireproofing, electrical insulation, and various other building materials as well as safety apparel, brake pads, and countless other products. When was it discovered to be a serious health hazard? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Brazilian Patriot Tiradentes Hanged, Drawn, and Quartered (1792)Born José Joaquim da Silva Xavier, Tiradentes gained his nickname, which means "tooth-puller," working as a healer in his youth. In the late 1780s, he joined and soon became the leader of a revolutionary movement against Portuguese rule in Brazil that was inspired by the American Revolution. In 1789, the movement was betrayed and its leaders were imprisoned. They were freed and exiled in 1792 with the exception of Tiradentes, who was executed in Rio de Janeiro. What was done with his remains? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Max Weber (1864)Weber was a German sociologist and political economist whose most famous and controversial work, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, examines the relationship between Calvinist—or Puritan—morality, compulsive labor, bureaucracy, and economic success under capitalism. Weber also wrote about social phenomena such as charisma and mysticism, which he saw as antithetical to the modern world and its underlying process of rationalization. What other important works did he write? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A sharp tongue is the only edge tool that grows keener with constant use.Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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in the unlikely event (that) (something) happens— If a very improbable outcome turns out to be the case. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Fiesta San Antonio (2024)The Fiesta San Antonio is a 10-day extravaganza of events held since 1901 in San Antonio, Texas, including San Jacinto Day, April 21. The highlight of the fiesta is the Battle of Flowers Parade alongside the Alamo. Merrymakers originally pelted each other with flowers, but now people crush cascarones, decorated eggshells filled with confetti, on each others' heads. Some 150 other events include concerts, fashion shows, art fairs, a charreada (Mexican rodeo), torchlit floats in the Fiesta Flambeau Parade, and decorated barges in the San Antonio River Parade. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: publishedfactoid - An unsubstantiated statement, account, or report published as if it were factual, coined by the novelist Norman Mailer from fact + -oid (as in android, humanoid), in reference to his fictionalized biography of Marilyn Monroe. More... divulgate - If something is divulgate, it is published. More... libel, slander - Libel—from Latin libellus, "little book"—must be published, while spoken defamatory remarks are slander; libel first meant "document, written statement." More... backlist - Older books kept in print by a publisher. More... | |