Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, July 18, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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The Past Emphatic TenseWe can form a positive sentence in the past simple tense by using the past emphatic tense. It is formed by using "did" before the main verb, which is in the present tense. The emphatic past tense places special emphasis on what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Pet SkunksThough these animals are best known for the foul-smelling fluid they emit as a defense against predators, skunks are occasionally kept as pets. Their scent glands can be removed, and they can be trained to live indoors with humans, but pet skunks remain relatively rare, due in part to restrictive laws and the complexity of their care. In the 20th century, most US states outlawed the keeping of wild animals in an effort to stem the spread of rabies. Which states still allow domestic skunks? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 San Ysidro McDonald's Massacre (1984)The deadliest shooting spree in US history at the time, the San Ysidro McDonald's Massacre took place at a McDonald's restaurant in San Diego, California, and resulted in 21 deaths and 19 injuries. It was carried out by James Oliver Huberty, who had moved to the area just six months earlier and recently lost his job. The 77-minute massacre ended when Huberty was fatally shot by a sniper. Later that year, McDonald's razed the building where the killings had occurred. What was built in its place? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 George "Machine Gun" Kelly (1895)Kelly was an American gangster who became notorious for committing a series of robberies and killings during the prohibition era. After a stint in prison in 1928, Kelly married Kathryn Thorne, who reportedly purchased her husband's first machine gun and coined his famous nickname. In 1933, he kidnapped millionaire Charles F. Urschel but was eventually caught and sentenced to life in prison, where he died in 1954. What less violent nickname did Kelly reportedly earn during his time at Alcatraz? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Any woman can fool a man if she wants to and if he's in love with her.Agatha Christie (1890-1976) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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brainwave— A sudden idea or moment of inspiration; a brainstorm. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Carinthian Summer Music Festival (2023)For six weeks spanning July and August, the world's most renowned conductors and orchestras perform in various locations in the Austria's southernmost province, Carinthia. Ossiach Abbey, an 11th-century monastery, has remained a main venue site since it hosted the first Carinthian festival, in 1969. Ensembles play at the abbey's church and its baroque hall, Villach's Congress Centre, and Glanegg Castle, as well as other scenic settings throughout the mountainous province. The Festival has built its musical reputation on the rare genre known as the "church opera." More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: midnightbeauty sleep - First defined as sleep taken before midnight, regarded as the most refreshing portion. More... mesonoxian - Means "of or related to midnight." More... quarternight - Halfway between sundown and midnight. More... small hours - Midnight or 1 a.m. to dawn, when the numbered hours are "small." More... | |