Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, November 20, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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nonce
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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AspectAspect has to do with how an action, state of being, or event as described by a verb relates to time. It is often confused with tense. How do aspect and tense differ? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Iranian Space AgencyThe Iranian government established the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) in 2003. Just two years later, it declared that it would allocate $500 million to the ISA. Though Western nations have expressed concern, fearing that Iran's rapid advancement in space technology will improve its military capabilities, the ISA's most noteworthy space venture to date was launching a rocket containing living organisms—a rodent, two turtles, and several worms—into space in 2010. Did the animals survive the trip? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Diocletian's Army Declares Him Emperor of Rome (284 CE)Of humble birth, Diocletian rose through the ranks of the Roman military to become a high-ranking commander. His troops proclaimed him emperor after the death of Numerian, and he became sole ruler when Carinus, Numerian's co-emperor, was murdered by his own officers. Seeking to remove the military from politics, Diocletian established a tetrarchy, or four-ruler system, appointing Maximian, Constantius I, and Galerius as co-rulers and proclaiming them all gods. Why did Diocletian abdicate in 305? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Selma Lagerlöf (1858)Lagerlöf was a Swedish author who is best known for her children's book, The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. While working as a teacher, Lagerlöf got her big break as a writer when chapters of her first novel, Gösta Berling's Saga, won first prize in a literary contest. Lagerlöf rooted her work in legend in a reaction against contemporary Swedish realism. In 1909, she became the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. What did she do with her medal during World War II? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Before I do anything I feel that I have choice, and that influences what I do; but afterwards, when the thing is done, I believe that it was inevitable from all eternity.W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have a/the wolf by the ear(s)— To be in a difficult situation from which it is as dangerous to extricate oneself as it is to remain in it. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Opening of the Underground Caves Day (2023)The end of World War II is marked annually by the people of Butaritari Island (northern islands of the independent republic of Kiribati). Each year, they open the caves that were built to shelter them during the war. Accompanied by a celebration, the event takes place on the anniversary of the day the caves initially were opened after the war ended in 1945. The event's main activities take place in Ukiangang village on Butaritari Island, featuring singing, dancing, feasting, and indoor and outdoor games. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: inkatrament - A synonym for ink. More... calamari - The term for Deep-fried squid comes from Latin calamarius, meaning "pen case"—because of its long tapering shell and its ink; it is also spelled calamary. More... ink - First spelled inke and enke—from Greek enkauston, the purple ink used by Roman emperors. More... | |