Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, June 6, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining the Em DashWhen we refer to dashes, we are usually referring to em dashes. In appearance, an em dash is slightly longer than an en dash, approximately the width of a capital M. What is the em dash primarily used to indicate? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Natufian CultureThe Natufian culture existed in the Mediterranean region of the Levant between 14,560 and 11,560 years ago and was unique in that its members established permanent settlements prior to the development of agriculture. While the Natufians were hunter-gatherers, some evidence suggests that they began to cultivate cereals after a sudden climate change threatened their naturally occurring food sources. Natufian sites contain the earliest archaeological evidence of the domestication of what animal? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Drive-In Theater Opens in New Jersey (1933)The drive-in theater was the creation of New Jersey chemical company magnate Richard M. Hollingshead, Jr. In 1932, Hollingshead nailed a screen to trees in his backyard and set a projector on the hood of his car. After applying for a patent for his creation, Hollingshead opened the first drive-in the next year. Though it only operated for three years, the concept soon caught on in other states. How many drive-ins are estimated to have existed in the US at the height of their popularity? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (1799)Among the giants of Russian literature, Pushkin was a poet and writer whose masterpieces include the poem The Bronze Horseman, the drama The Stone Guest, and his verse novel Eugene Onegin, which contains witty descriptions of 19th-century Russian society. Pushkin established the modern poetic language of Russia, using Russian history for the basis of many works, but his career was cut short when he died after a duel with a young Frenchman. How old was he when he died? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The power to guess the unseen from the seen, to trace the implications of things, to judge the whole piece by the pattern, the condition of feeling life in general so completely that you are well on your way to knowing any particular corner of it—this cluster of gifts may almost be said to constitute experience.Henry James (1843-1916) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be potty about (something)— To be very excited or enthusiastic (about something). Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 D-Day (2023)This day marks the start of the Allied invasion of occupied France in 1944, which led to the final defeat of Hitler's Germany the following May. About 3,000 ships transported 130,000 British, Canadian, and American troops across the English Channel to land on the beaches of Normandy. Airborne troops began parachuting into Normandy at 15 minutes past midnight on June 6, and Landing Craft Transports plowed through the surf to spill troops onto the beaches. About 10,000 troops were killed or wounded that day. Each year, simple ceremonies at the Normandy cemeteries commemorate the men who fell. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: shotshot - Referring to a fluid dram of liquor, the term is fairly new, dating to 1928 (PG Wodehouse). More... deadline - Originally a Civil War term for a line that marked the distance a prisoner could go before being shot on sight. More... schuss - A straight downhill ski run, it is literally German for "a shot." More... beside the point - The expression is from ancient archery, and literally means one's shot is wide of the target. More... | |