Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, August 15, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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apotheosis
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Auxiliary Verbs - WouldThe modal auxiliary verb "would" has a variety of functions and uses, including replacing "will" for things that happened or began in the past, or describing hypothetical situations. What type of mood is used to express hypotheticals and desires? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Maunder MinimumThe Maunder Minimum was the 70-year period from about 1645 to 1715 when sunspots were exceedingly rare, as noted by the solar observers of the time. The years of the Maunder Minimum coincided with the coldest part of the Little Ice Age, during which Europe and North America were subjected to bitterly cold winters—leading to speculation that the phenomena were related. Astronomer John A. Eddy popularized the concept in his landmark 1976 paper "The Maunder Minimum." Who was the eponymous Maunder? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Cameroon's Lake Monoun Explodes, Suffocating 37 (1984)The explosion at Cameroon's Lake Monoun, which killed 37 people, at first baffled investigators. It was only after a similar event at nearby Lake Nyos two years later claimed the lives of 1,700 people that experts determined that high concentration of carbon dioxide in the lakes had caused the suffocating limnic eruptions. Venting pipes were inserted into Lake Monoun to remove the gas and prevent future eruptions. How many lakes in the world are susceptible to this sort of deadly gas release? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Blind Jack Metcalf (1717)John Metcalf, popularly known as Blind Jack, was a civil engineer and the first professional road builder of the Industrial Revolution. He lost his sight to a smallpox infection at age six and earned a living in early adulthood as a fiddle player. Though he was unable to see, he swam, played cards, rode horses, and even hunted. In 1765, Parliament passed an act authorizing turnpike building, and he won a contract to build a new road. How many miles of roadway is Metcalf said to have built? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 If I got places, sir, it was because I made myself fit for 'em. If you want to slip into a round hole, you must make a ball of yourself.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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make capital out of (something)— To use something to one's advantage or profit. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Assumption of Our Lady (Santa Marija) (2023)On this day, Malta celebrates the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, a national holiday that commemorates the success of Operation Pedestal. Many believe that it was through the intervention of Our Lady that Operation Pedestal was able to succeed. Church services across the country start with a prayer of thanksgiving, and the names of the five surviving merchant ships are read. The holiday is celebrated festa style—with fireworks, decorated streets, and carts throughout the villages selling many different foods, including traditional sweets and delicacies. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: simpletondodo - Comes from Portuguese doudo, "fool, simpleton," from the bird's awkward appearance. More... doodle - Originally a noun meaning "fool, simpleton," from German dudeltopf, it came to mean absent-minded scribbling. More... gullible - A derivative of archaic gull, "dupe" or "simpleton." More... half-wit - Originally was "a would-be wit whose abilities are mediocre"; the sense of "simpleton" (one lacking all his wits) is attested to 1755. More... | |