Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, January 6, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Dummy PronounsDummy pronouns are words that function grammatically as pronouns, but which do not have antecedents like normal pronouns do. This means that, unlike normal pronouns, dummy pronouns do not replace a noun, phrase, or clause. What do they refer to in a sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Endocrine SystemThe pituitary, thyroid, and adrenal glands are all part of the endocrine system, a bodily system that is instrumental in regulating metabolism, tissue function, and growth and development. The endocrine system is an integrated network of small glands located throughout the body that release extracellular signaling molecules known as hormones. Hormones travel in the blood to distant targets, where they cause specific physiological responses. What diseases result from endocrine system problems? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Maria Montessori Opens Her First School (1907)Montessori was an educator and the first woman to receive a medical degree in Italy. While working in a clinic for mentally disabled children, she developed a method of teaching that involves immersing children in an environment filled with "learning games" that naturally motivate learning and allow them to develop at their own pace. She opened her first children's school in 1907 and spent the next 40 years traveling and promoting her method. How many times was she nominated for the Nobel Prize? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Sun Myung Moon (1920)Moon was an engineering student and dock worker before founding the Unification Church—based on his interpretation of Christianity—in South Korea in 1954. After building a multimillion-dollar business empire, he introduced the movement to the United States in the 1960s. Moon, who claims to be the Messiah and presides over ceremonies often called "mass weddings," is considered a controversial figure, and his movement is often viewed as a cult. In 1982, he was convicted of what crime? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Man sheds his grief as his skin sheds rain.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a hot hand— A continuous period of great success, luck, or fortune; a winning streak. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Dezome-shiki (New Year's Parade of Firemen) (2024)Each year on January 6, the Tokyo Fire Department hosts a parade of vehicles and a display of ladder stunts to remind citizens of the dangers of fire. The event dates from the Edo Period. In those days, ladders were indispensable tools, and the firefighters needed great agility and strength to scale them. The highlight of the present-day parade hearkens back to this tradition, as men dressed from the Edo Period perform acrobatic stunts on bamboo ladders. The event also features large-scale fire-fighting and emergency drills, and a parade of more than 100 fire engines and helicopters. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: wanderingevagation - Means mental wandering or digression, also a digression in speech or writing. More... mundivagant - Means "wandering around the world." More... vagation - The action of wandering, straying, or departing from the proper or regular course. More... wanderjahr - Literally German for "wander year," it refers to a year of wandering or travel. More... | |