Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, December 1, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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hovercraft
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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PrepositionsPrepositions are used to express the relationship of a noun or pronoun (or another grammatical element functioning as a noun) to the rest of the sentence. How do prepositions differ from infinitives? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Beta IsraelThe Beta Israel, or "House of Israel," are Jews of Ethiopian origin. Long isolated from mainstream Judaism, they do not use the Talmud but adhere strictly to the Mosaic law and observe some festivals of Judaism. In 1975, the Israeli rabbinate legally recognized them as Jews, and during the Ethiopian civil war, about 10,000 were airlifted to Israel in an effort to save them from persecution. A second airlift of more than 14,000 occurred in 1991. What were these secret operations called? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Our Lady of the Angels School Fire (1958)Shortly before classes were dismissed on December 1, 1958, a fire broke out at the foot of a stairway in the Our Lady of the Angels School in Chicago, Illinois. A total of 92 students and 3 nuns died and another 100 were seriously injured when smoke, heat, and fire cut off their normal means of escape. Many perished jumping from second-floor windows. The tragedy dominated headlines and led to nationwide changes to school fire safety regulations. How is the fire thought to have started? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Mary Virginia Martin (1913)Martin was an American musical comedy star. She co-owned a dance school in her native Texas before moving in 1938 to New York City, where she earned a small part in the musical Leave It To Me, winning widespread popularity with her buoyant singing voice and high-spirited temperament. She went on to star in several enormously successful musicals, including South Pacific, Peter Pan, and The Sound of Music, as well as a number of films. Who is Martin's famous son? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The most happy marriage I can imagine to myself would be the union of a deaf man to a blind woman.Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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(one's) heart's desire— Something one very much wants or needs. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Portugal Restoration of Independence Day (2023)This public holiday commemorates the restoration of Portugal's independence from Spain on December 1, 1640. Philip II (1527-1598) of Spain assumed control of Portugal in 1580 upon the death of Henry, prince of Portugal, and the "Spanish captivity" lasted for 60 years. Revolution began in Lisbon, and, in 1640, the Portuguese dethroned Philip IV (1605-1665; grandson of Philip II) and reclaimed independence for Portugal. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: subduemortify - From Latin, meaning "kill or subdue the flesh," it originally meant "to kill," then "to destroy the vitality or vigor of," before it took on its present meaning. More... pacify - Can mean "to subdue by armed action." More... subdue - From Latin subducere, "draw from below." More... tame - Came from Indo-European dom-, "tame, subdue." More... | |