Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, December 5, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ascendancy
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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AdverbsAn adverb refers to any element in a sentence used to modify a verb, adjective, another adverb, or even an entire clause. What is an adverbial? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Energy WeaponsDirected-energy weapons are those that transfer energy to a target without the use of a projectile. Types of energy used or proposed for such weapons include sound, radio, light, particles, and plasma—all of which could be used for a number of different applications, including destroying targets, causing disorientation, or disabling machinery. Although many so-called energy weapons are the stuff of science fiction, some are in development or even in limited use. What are some examples? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Papal Bull Bestows Authority to Prosecute Witchcraft in Germany (1484)In 1484, Pope Innocent VIII issued the papal bull Summis desiderantes affectibus—Desiring with supreme ardor. Sometimes blamed for inspiring the witch-hunts that became increasingly common in the coming centuries, the bull recognizes the existence of witches, gives Dominican Inquisitor Heinrich Kramer authority to prosecute witchcraft in Germany, and urges local ecclesiastical authorities to cooperate with inquisitors. Kramer later retired and co-wrote what treatise on witchcraft? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Christina Rossetti (1830)Christina Rossetti was one of England's most important female poets of the Victorian era. It is little wonder that she became a poet, given her lineage. Her great-grandfather was a poet, her grandfather was a writer and scholar, and her father was the famous poet and scholar Gabriele Rossetti. Her three siblings followed similar paths. Religious themes dominate her poems, which run the gamut from romantic to devotional to children's poetry. What popular Christmas carol did she pen? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing.Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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H-E-double-hockey-sticks— A euphemistic spelling of "hell," referring to each L resembling a hockey stick in shape. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development (2023)In 1985 the United Nations established December 5 as International Volunteer Day for Economic and Social Development. The Assembly hoped that in so doing, it would draw favorable attention to the contribution made by these volunteers, and thus inspire more people to serve the world community as volunteers. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: jointfishplate - A type of metal plate used to strengthen a joint (from fish, meaning "mend"). More... seam - Etymologically, a joint made by sewing. More... ankylosis - Stiffness or immobility in a joint. More... arthralgia, arthritis - Arthralgia is pain in a joint, from Greek arthron, "joint," which also gives us the word arthritis. More... | |