Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, September 16, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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DeterminersDeterminers do two things. First, they signal that a noun or noun phrase will follow. Then, they give information about the item. What are demonstrative determiners? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 DomesCommon structural elements in buildings around the globe, domes were first constructed atop primitive huts using sticks and mud. Their full architectural potential was not realized, however, until the 6th-century Byzantine architects of Constantinople's Hagia Sophia perfected the use of pendentives—triangular sections of vaulting that form the transition between circular domes and their polygonal supporting structures. Not all domes are perfectly circular. When was the first oval dome built? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Mayflower Sets Sail for New England (1620)The Mayflower set sail from England to the New World with 102 passengers and about 25 crew members. After a two-month voyage marked by disease, the ship dropped anchor in Cape Cod Bay. After spending the winter selecting a suitable site for their new colony and drawing up an agreement for its temporary government by the will of the majority—the Mayflower Compact—the surviving passengers settled Plymouth. Why did the Speedwell, which set out with the Mayflower, turn back? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Hans Augusto "H.A." Rey (1898)Rey and his wife were the creators of the Curious George series of children's books. George, an impish monkey, first appeared in Rey's little-remembered Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys and was so well received that the Reys decided to write an entire book about him. Their work was interrupted by the outbreak of WWII, however, and the Reys, who were Jews, fled Paris hours before it fell to the Nazis, taking with them the illustrated manuscript of Curious George. How did they escape? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Wives are young men's mistresses, companions for middle age, and old men's nurses.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have a sneaking suspicion— To have a slight but persistent premonition or intuition (about something). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Papua New Guinea Independence Day (2023)This national holiday celebrates Papua New Guinea's independence on this day in 1975. In the late 19th century, Germany laid claim to the northeastern section of the island, while Britain ruled the southeastern section. Britain left its section to Australia in 1902, which eventually administered the whole area until independence, though it is still part of the British Commonwealth. In 2000, Papua New Guinea celebrated its silver (25th) anniversary of independence with a flag-raising ceremony, a parade, and musical and dance performances in the capital city, Port Moresby. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: perfectA-OK - Astronauts on the Mercury Project in 1961 popularized A-OK, meaning "excellent, perfect"; it was coined by blending the adjective "A," as in A-one or A1, meaning "first-class," with "OK." More... palinoia - The compulsive repetition of an act until it is perfect. More... parfait - Literally French for "perfect." More... perfect binding - A book bound by gluing instead of sewing. More... | |