Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, October 14, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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wellspring
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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HyphensA hyphen ( - ) is used primarily to join two or more words to form a new, compound word or to provide clarity when using certain affixes (such as prefixes). What is a hanging hyphen? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Plague of JustinianThe Plague of Justinian was a pandemic that afflicted the Byzantine Empire during and after the rule of Emperor Justinian I, who himself contracted the disease. The most commonly accepted cause of the pandemic is the bubonic plague, which is infamous for its role in the so-called Black Death of the 14th century. It is estimated that the Plague of Justinian wiped out what percentage of Constantinople's population at the time? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 World's Oldest Surviving Film Shot (1888)Roundhay Garden Scene is an 1888 short film directed by French inventor Louis Le Prince, who is widely recognized as the world's first filmmaker. Recorded at 12 frames per second, it is the earliest surviving film, predating efforts by Thomas Edison and the Lumière brothers. However, Le Prince was never able to capitalize on his innovation—he disappeared in 1890 while on his way to publicly exhibit the film. How long are the existing copies of the film? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Mobutu Sese Seko (1930)Mobutu was the president of Zaïre—now the Democratic Republic of the Congo—from 1965 to 1997. His repressive regime resulted in corruption and poverty, while he amassed one of the largest personal fortunes in the world. He was overthrown in 1997 and died in exile in Morocco. As part of his policies, he required Africanization of all European names, changing the Congo's name to Zaïre and his own name, Joseph Désiré Mobutu, to Mobutu Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu Wa Za Banga, which means what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A common and natural result of an undue respect for the law is, that you may see a file of soldiers ... marching in admirable order over hill and dale to the wars, against their wills, ay, against their common sense and consciences.Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have the goods on (someone)— To have incriminating evidence or proof against someone. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Svetitskhovloba (2023)Built in the 11th century, the Svetitskhoveli Cathedral is located in the historical town of Mtskheta in Georgia. It is one of the principal worship sites of the Georgian Orthodox faith and has also inspired a major Georgian Orthodox holiday, Svetitskhovloba, which is celebrated two days of the year, July 13 and October 14. Svetitskhovloba pays homage to this cathedral, as well as to the relic that it is believed to hold: the cloak of Christ. Pilgrims from Georgia and other nearby countries congregate for a mass baptism at the junction of the Aragvi and Kura rivers. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: organismcultivar - An organism resulting from cultivation, from the combination of "cultivated variety." More... scientific name - The recognized Latin name given to an organism, consisting of a genus and species, according to a taxonomy; also called the binomial name. More... soma - The body of an organism. More... macronutrient - One required in relatively large amounts by organisms, e.g. carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. More... | |