Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, August 12, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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gegenschein
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Independent ClausesAn independent clause (also known as a main clause) is a clause that forms a complete, independent thought. What is a simple sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Hope DiamondThe Hope Diamond is a large, blue diamond, currently housed in the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, DC. Its history can be traced to the "Tavernier Blue," a crudely cut diamond of about 112 carats originally mined in India, which King Louis XIV of France later purchased and cut into "the Blue Diamond of the Crown," or "the French Blue." Legend has it that the Hope Diamond is cursed and causes misfortune to befall its possessors. How did it acquire this reputation? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Cleopatra Commits Suicide (30 BCE)After likely arranging for her brothers Ptolemy XIII and Ptolemy XIV—to whom she was married, according to custom—to be killed, Cleopatra gained sole rule of Egypt. She later left for Rome with Julius Caesar but returned to Egypt after his assassination, luring Caesar's heir, Mark Antony, into marriage. Octavian, whose sister Antony had previously married, declared war on Cleopatra and Antony and defeated their joint forces at the Battle of Actium. How did Cleopatra allegedly commit suicide? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Cecil B. DeMille (1881)In 1913, DeMille joined Jesse Lasky and Samuel Goldwyn to form the forerunner of Paramount Communications. Their first venture, The Squaw Man (1914), was the first full-length feature film produced in Hollywood. DeMille, known for his flamboyance and his taste for huge casts and extravagant sets, went on to make numerous comedies before creating biblical spectacles such as 1923's The Ten Commandments. Which of DeMille's films won an Academy Award for best picture in 1952? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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hand (something) to (someone) on a plate— To give or relinquish something to someone very easily, without him or her having to work very hard to get or achieve it. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Abbotsford International Air Show (2023)Widely recognized as Canada's national air show, this three-day event is an opportunity for the aviation industry to display the latest developments in civilian aircraft. Since the first show was held in 1962, it has included aerobatic performances by the Canadian Armed Forces, the Royal Air Force, the Snowbirds Jet Team and the US Air Force's Thunderbirds. There is also a large banquet featuring well-known personalities in the aviation and aerospace fields. The show is held at the airport in Abbotsford, British Columbia, and is regularly attended by upwards of 200,000 people. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: solidcholesterol - Comes from Greek words meaning "bile, gall" and "stiff, solid," plus the ending "-ol." More... hydrogenated oil - An oil with trans-fatty acids that has been chemically changed from a room-temperature liquid state into a solid. More... sublimate - In chemistry, to change from a solid to a gas or from a gas to a solid without becoming a liquid. More... solder, solid - To solder something is etymologically to make it solid; solid comes from Latin solidus, "solid, whole." More... | |