Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, March 24, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Vertical ListsWhile using numbers or letters can help to better organize a list, it can also result in rather long, clunky sentences. In many cases where numbers or letters are necessary, writers often prefer to structure their lists "vertically." What does that mean? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Snake CharmingMost common in South Asia and North Africa, snake charming is the practice of "charming" snakes through music and rhythmic body movements. Street performers set up in front of audiences and use different methods to draw out their snakes—often venomous varieties such as cobras—which sometimes appear to move along with the music. A typical performance may also include handling the snakes or performing other seemingly dangerous acts. Why is snake charming becoming increasingly rare in India? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Robert Koch Announces Discovery of Tuberculosis Bacterium (1882)Tuberculosis, a contagious, wasting disease that commonly attacks the lungs but may affect other organs and systems as well, is caused by several strains of mycobacteria, particularly Mycobacterium tuberculosis in humans. First identified in 1882 by German bacteriologist Robert Koch, M. tuberculosis is unusual because of its lipid-rich cell wall and because it divides every 15 to 20 hours, when other bacteria divide in minutes. How long does it take E. coli to divide? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ub Iwerks (1901)After starting an unsuccessful art studio with Walt Disney, Iwerks continued working on film animation until Disney brought him to Hollywood in 1923 to help draw Alice in Cartoonland. Together, Disney and Iwerks created Mickey Mouse—drawn by Iwerks, with Disney providing the voice. Iwerks went on to develop many special effects for animated movies, winning Academy Awards in 1959 and 1965 for his technical contributions to motion pictures. What other cartoon characters did Iwerks create? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 When the sword is once drawn, the passions of men observe no bounds of moderation.Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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in a sorry state— In a pitiful or abject condition. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 National Cherry Blossom Festival (2024)The National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., is held when the cherry trees planted around the Potomac River Tidal Basin bloom. The 3,000 trees were a gift to the city of Washington from the city of Tokyo, Japan, in 1912, and today they are the focal point of a two-week festival celebrating the friendship between the two countries. The festivities include formal receptions for the 52 festival princesses (representing the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the territory of Guam) and a Cherry Blossom parade through downtown Washington. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: weighdispense - Ultimately from Latin dispendere, "weigh out." More... expend - Comes from ex-, "out," and pendere, "weigh; pay"; originally, it referred to spending money, with the root sense being "to weigh out money." More... preponderate - Once meant "weigh more" and "have greater intellectual weight." More... spend - A blend of Latin pendere, "pay, weigh," and expendere, "pay out." More... | |