Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, October 1, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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contiguous
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Aspects of the Past TenseWe use different aspects with verbs in the past tense to describe exactly how an event is structured in relation to a point in time in the past. When is the past perfect continuous used? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Lotus EffectWhen water hits a lotus leaf, it pools up or rolls right off. This so-called lotus effect is due to a complex system of microscopic bumps on the leaf's waxy surface. These superhydrophobic structures protect the lotus from pathogens like fungi, which are easily swept off its leaves by water droplets. Although the lotus effect has been known in Asia for millennia—and was even noted in ancient Hindu texts—it was only scientifically understood in the early 1970s, thanks to the invention of what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Los Angeles Times Bombing (1910)In 1910, amidst the Los Angeles Times's editorial crusade against local unions, two brothers belonging to the International Association of Bridge and Structural Iron Workers bombed the newspaper's headquarters with dynamite. The resulting fire killed 21 newspaper employees and injured dozens more. The American Federation of Labor hired noted trial attorney Clarence Darrow to represent the brothers, James and Joseph McNamara, who eventually pleaded guilty. What happened to them? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Annie Besant (1847)Besant was an English social reformer who, in 1889, embraced theosophy, a religious philosophy with mystical concerns. She served as international president of the Theosophical Society from 1907 until her death. After moving to India in 1893, she became an independence leader and established the Indian Home Rule League. She was president of the Indian National Congress in 1917 but later split with Gandhi. Besant lost custody of her children and was nearly imprisoned for publishing what in 1877? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 He had discovered a great law of human action, without knowing it—namely, that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain.Mark Twain (1835-1910) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have (one's) hand out— To be in request, demand, or expectation of benefits, such as welfare, especially when undeserved or unneeded. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Cyprus Independence Day (2023)Cyprus gained independence from Great Britain on August 16, 1960. On that day, British governor Hugh Foot departed amid much ceremony, and Greek Cypriot freedom fighters landed on a plane from Athens with a heroes' welcome. The new Cypriot president, Archbishop Makarios III (1913-1977), gave a speech inspiring Cypriots to improve their new nation. Independence Day is observed as a public holiday on October 1 each year. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: mashed potatoeschampit tatties - Scottish for mashed potatoes. More... mashed potato, creamed potato, whipped potato - Creamed potato and whipped potato are synonyms for mashed potato. More... mashed potatoes - Used to be called Dutch potatoes or German potatoes. More... potato bread - A type of bread made with mashed potatoes. More... | |