Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, August 6, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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farrago
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining the Past Perfect TenseThe past perfect tense expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past. How do we form the past perfect tense? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 ToothpasteThough toothpaste as we know it today is only about a century old, dental hygiene has long concerned human beings. The ancient Greeks and Romans cleaned their teeth with abrasive mixtures using crushed bones and oyster shells, a far cry from the hydrogen peroxide-and-baking soda formulas of the 19th century. In 1892, American dentist Washington Sheffield became the first to sell toothpaste in a tube—today the standard in toothpaste packaging. What had inspired him to package it like that? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 End of the Holy Roman Empire: Francis II Abdicates (1806)Francis II, the last Holy Roman Emperor, came to power just before the outbreak of war with Napoleon's France. His armies were defeated, and he ceded the left bank of the Rhine to France in exchange for Venetia and Dalmatia. In 1798, he joined the Second Coalition against France, but he was again defeated. He eventually consented to the virtual dissolution of the Holy Roman Empire and assumed the title of emperor of Austria. Though he despised Napoleon, Francis allowed him to marry whom? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Andy Warhol (1928)Warhol, one of the most influential artists of the late 20th century, was the leading exponent of the pop art movement. Seeking to minimize the role of his own hand in his work, Warhol began mass-producing silkscreen paintings with the help of assistants at his studio, dubbed "the Factory." His works, which are both popular and controversial, feature commonplace objects, such as dollar bills, soup cans, and soft-drink bottles, as well as celebrities like Marilyn Monroe. Who shot him in 1968? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 When the tyrant has disposed of foreign enemies by conquest or treaty, and there is nothing more to fear from them, then he is always stirring up some war or other, in order that the people may require a leader.Plato (427 BC-347 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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gut factor— The subjective, emotional element or dimension that influences a decision. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony (2023)This ceremony has been held each year since 1947 at the Peace Memorial Park in Hiroshima, Japan, in memory of the victims of the atomic bomb that devastated the city in 1945. On August 15, Japan surrendered, ending World War II. The peace ceremony is held in the evening, when the city's citizens set thousands of lanterns adrift on the Ota River and prayers are offered for world peace. Memorial services are also held throughout the world. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: smokingstogie, stogy - A stogie (or stogy) is named for the Conestoga wagon—as drivers of the wagons rolled tobacco into thin ropes for smoking on long trips; stogies are now long, thin cigars. More... cigar - Comes from Spanish cigarro, from the Mayan verb sik'ar, "to smoke" or "smoking." More... dottle - Any tobacco left in a pipe after smoking. More... pipe dream - Originated with opium smoking. More... | |