Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, February 12, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Forming the Past SimpleThe past simple tense is used to express completed actions. Why is it called the "past simple"? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 AltarsAltars are tables or platforms upon which sacrifices or other offerings are made. Though today they are typically found inside houses of worship or private homes, altars in the ancient world were almost exclusively constructed outdoors. An altar's design varies according to its purpose. For example, an altar used for burnt offerings will have a hollow for a fire, while one used for bloody sacrifices will have a drain. What do Taoists burn to ensure that the dead have money in the afterlife? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Founded (1909)The oldest and largest US civil rights organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was formed as a result of the 1908 race riots in Springfield, Illinois. In 1939, it organized the Legal Defense and Education Fund as its legal arm, which sued for school desegregation in Brown v. Board of Education. During World War II, it pressed for desegregation of the armed forces, which was achieved in 1948. What activist was an early leader of the NAACP? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Cotton Mather (1663)Mather was an American Puritan leader remembered for his role in the Salem witch trials. Although his Memorable Providences Relating to Witchcraft and Possessions fed the hysteria that led to the witch hunts, he disapproved of some of the trials and argued against the use of "spectral evidence," a type of evidence based on dreams. Deeply interested in science, Mather was the first native-born American to be a fellow of the Royal Society and was an early supporter of what medical method? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Certainly, in taking revenge, a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing it over, he is superior.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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leave (someone) holding the baby— To foist responsibility or guilt for something on someone else; to allow someone else to take the blame for something. Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Myanmar Union Day (2024)In the Union of Myanmar, also known as Burma, Union Day commemorates the day in 1947 that Bogyoke Aung San, a Burmese nationalist leader, helped to unify all of Burma. Five days before Union Day, an annual relay of the Union flag begins. A ceremony to mark the start of the relay is held at City Hall. The flag is carried through 45 townships before arriving at People's Square on Pyay Road for a Union Day ceremony. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: jerkflounce - Can mean a sudden fling or jerk of the body or a limb. More... hike - As a walk, it evolved from its original meaning of "to jerk or pull" (oneself along). More... jerk - As in jerked meat (e.g. beef jerky), it is from American Spanish and Quechua charqui, "dried flesh." More... weight lifting, power lifting - Weight lifting is specifically the press, the clean and jerk, and the snatch; power lifting is the bench press, squat, and dead lift. More... | |