Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, November 10, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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maelstrom
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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VerbsVerbs are used to indicate the actions, processes, conditions, or states of beings of people or things. Verbs constitute the root of the predicate. What is the difference between transitive and intransitive verbs? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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.svg.png) Madame NhuThe sister-in-law of the unwed president of South Vietnam, Madame Nhu was the country's de facto First Lady from 1955 to 1963. A Catholic by conversion, she pushed for the passage of "morality laws" outlawing, among other things, abortion, contraceptives, dance halls, and beauty pageants. The Buddhist majority resented the leadership's imposition of Catholic values, and the family was eventually forced from power in a coup. Why was Madame Nhu nicknamed "The Dragon Lady"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Henry Wirz Executed for War Crimes in American Civil War (1865)In 1864, Wirz, a Confederate officer, became superintendent of Georgia's Andersonville prison, officially known as Camp Sumter. Providing only makeshift shelters, the prison confined tens of thousands of Union soldiers and became notorious for conditions so appalling that 13,000 of them died. Wirz was later convicted of conspiring to murder prisoners and hanged, becoming the only person executed for war crimes committed in the American Civil War. What was Wirz's occupation before the war? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 William Hogarth (1697)Hogarth was a British painter and engraver who began his career as an apprentice to a silversmith at the age of 15. At 22, he opened his own engraving and printing shop. His first successes were satirical engravings that attacked contemporary taste and questioned the art establishment. His efforts to protect artists against art piracy were instrumental in the passage of Britain's first copyright act in 1735. What 20th century composer wrote an opera inspired by Hogarth's Rake's Progress? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is an illusion that youth is happy, an illusion of those who have lost it.W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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good God!— An oath expressing surprise, shock, frustration, anger, or annoyance. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Martin's Eve (2023)Traditionally, children in Estonia go from door to door at dusk on St. Martin's Eve in much the same way that American children trick-or-treat on Halloween. If they are not welcomed into the house and given treats, they retaliate by singing rude and uncomplimentary songs. Usually, they are ushered into the kitchen, where such delicacies as apples, nuts, cookies, and raisin bread are handed out. Turnips are another prized gift, as is viljandi kama, a kind of meal comprised of grains and dried vegetables mixed with sour milk, sugar, and cream that is regarded as a special treat. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: luckhapless, happiness - Hapless means one is lacking hap, "good fortune, luck"; the words happy and happiness also have the root "hap." More... happen - Fairly new to English, from hap, "chance, luck," which was borrowed from Old Norse happ. More... fortune - Latin fors, "chance," formed fortuna, "that which fate brings along," hence fortune, "luck" or "good luck." More... potluck - Comes from the practice of throwing leftovers in a pot—with luck determining how good the stew would taste. More... | |