Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, December 9, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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sycophant
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Relative AdverbsRelative adverbs, like relative pronouns, introduce relative clauses (also called adjective clauses) that modify a noun or a noun phrase. How do relative adverbs differ from relative pronouns? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Joseph Jagger: The Man Who Broke the BankBefore Mick Jagger strutted with the Stones, fellow Brit Joseph Jagger brought fame to the surname in 1873 when he won two million francs at the Beaux-Arts Casino in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Jagger began his scheme by hiring six clerks to record the outcomes of six of the casino's roulette wheels. They discovered that nine numbers came up more frequently than the others on one of the wheels. How did the casino respond when Jagger put his plan into action and began racking up winnings? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 America's First Serving African-American Governor Takes Office (1872)Born to a former slave and a white planter, Pinckney Pinchback was America's first African-American governor. During the American Civil War, he raised and led a company of black Union volunteers, called the Corps d'Afrique, in Union-held New Orleans. After the war, he was elected to the Louisiana senate and served as lieutenant governor. In 1872, he became governor when Henry Warmoth was impeached. How long was it before another African American held a gubernatorial office in the US? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 John Milton (1608)Considered the greatest English poet after William Shakespeare, Milton wrote 23 sonnets that are accepted as among the best ever written as well as the epic Paradise Lost. This masterpiece reworks Classical epic conventions to recount the fall of man in blank verse and contains a portrayal of Satan so compelling that many 19th century critics considered him, not Adam, to be the real hero of the epic. The 12-volume work was completed well after Milton became blind. How did he compile it? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Pride is one of the seven deadly sins; but it cannot be the pride of a mother in her children, for that is a compound of two cardinal virtues—faith and hope.Charles Dickens (1812-1870) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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end (something) on a high note— To finish, complete, or leave (something) at a successful, impressive, or climactic point. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Antigua National Heroes Day (2023)Antigua has four citizens who have been designated as National Heroes, and December 9 is a public holiday to honor and celebrate all of them. The date is the birthday of one of the four, Sir Vere Cornwall Bird, the first prime minister of Antigua, who is considered the father of the nation. The others are King Court, who led a slave revolt in 1736; Dame Ellen Georgian Nellie Robinson, a pioneer in education; and Sir Vivian Richards, one of the world's greatest cricket players. Speeches and ceremonies honor the accomplishments of the National Heroes on this day. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: revolutiongyre - A circular movement or revolution; to cause to spin around or whirl. More... rebellion, revolution - Rebellion is open resistance to a government or authority; revolution is a rebellion that succeeds in overthrowing the government and establishing a new one. More... rev - An abbreviation of revolution. More... young Turk - Term for a tyrannical or unmanageable man, based on the members of a party of Turkish agitators that brought about the revolution of 1908. More... | |