Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, January 19, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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idiosyncrasy
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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PluralsPlurals of nouns are used to indicate when there is more than one person, place, animal, or thing. The normal method for making nouns plural is to add an "-s." What are some irregular plurals? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Steam DonkeyThe steam donkey is the strangely named auxiliary steam engine used for hoisting or pumping, especially on a ship. The name "steam donkey" comes from its origin in sailing ships, where the "donkey" engine was typically used to load and unload cargo and raise the larger sails. Patented in 1882, the steam donkey became a key tool for the logging industry as well, but its popularity waned with the advent of diesel-powered equipment. At what amusement park can you find a steam donkey on display? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Sten Sture the Younger Mortally Wounded in Battle (1520)Sture was a Swedish statesman and regent of Sweden. When he refused to recognize Christian II of Denmark as king of Sweden, Christian sent a force to aid Sture's rival, Archbishop Gustaf Trolle, whom Sture had deposed and who was besieged in his castle. Sture defeated the Danish army and imprisoned Trolle. Warfare continued, and Sture was killed in battle, but not before he paved the way for Swedish independence, which was attained under Gustavus I. What was done to Sture's body after his death? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Edgar Allan Poe (1809)Considered one of the most brilliant and original writers in American literature, Poe was a poet, short-story writer, and critic whose skillfully wrought tales and poems convey with passionate intensity the mysterious, dreamlike, and often macabre forces that pervaded his sensibility. He also pioneered the detective fiction genre with stories such as "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "The Purloined Letter." What mysterious, six-decade-old tradition at Poe's Baltimore grave was broken in 2010? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Nothing ever comes to me, that is worth having, except as the result of hard work.Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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hustle (one's) bustle— To increase one's pace or sense of urgency; to hurry up; to get moving quickly. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Epiphany (Russia) (2024)On January 19th, members of the Russian Orthodox Church ritually bathe in a river or lake. The day marks the Baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan, an event called the Epiphany, and Orthodox Catholics believe that bathing outside on that day washes away sin. As believers cut holes in the ice with chainsaws and plunge into the frigid water, priests chant prayers to bless the water. Altars and crosses made of ice and snow are sometimes constructed near the bathing site. Authorities advise against the practice, especially in the freezing temperatures of a Russian winter. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: violin | |