Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, December 10, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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humdrum
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Comparative AdverbsComparative adverbs, like comparative adjectives, are used to describe differences and similarities between two things. Comparative adverbs and comparative adjectives sometimes have the same form. However, even when the forms are the same, how can we tell the difference between the two? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Freedom RidesAfter the US Supreme Court ruled in the case of Boynton v. Virginia (1960) that racial segregation in public transportation is illegal, civil rights activists organized the Freedom Rides, in which interracial groups of participants rode public transportation in the southern US to challenge local laws enforcing segregation. Though many riders were beaten and arrested, people continued to join the campaign, propelling it forward. How else did the riders protest racial discrimination? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Imperial Japanese Navy Sinks Two British Warships (1941)Japanese aggression in late 1941 prompted Britain to send two of their largest warships—HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse—to the Pacific as a deterrent. However, war in the Pacific escalated with the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7. Three days later, Japanese forces destroyed the Prince of Wales and Repulse near Singapore. The warships were the first sunk by aircraft while at sea. How did British Prime Minister Winston Churchill react to the sinkings? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Melvil Dewey (1851)In 1876, while working as a college librarian, Dewey developed a decimal-based system for organizing the contents of a library by subject category, indicated by a three-digit numeral, with further specification expressed by numerals following a decimal point. He established the first library training school and the American Library Association and is also credited with inventing the vertical office file. A cofounder of the Spelling Reform Association, Dewey respelled his own name in what way? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The freedom of the press should be inviolate.John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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high profile— A presence or stance that is deliberately conspicuous and prominent socially. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Whirling Dervish Festival (2023)Each year up to a million people flood Konya, Turkey, on the anniversary of the death of the poet and Sufi Islamic mystic Jelaluddin al-Rumi. Rumi's teachings are the basis for the Sufi Muslim order known as Mevlevi, which uses music and dance to experience spiritual ecstasy. Leading up to December 17, thousands of visitors arrive to partake of exhibits and lectures related to Rumi and the Mevlevi order. At the climax of the festival, the Mevlevis perform their whirling dance, wearing costumes that feature white trousers, a full white overskirt, and tall cylindrical hats. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: magicaeaeae - Meaning "magic," it is derived from aealae artes, "magic arts." More... elicit - Comes from a Latin stem meaning "draw forth by magic or trickery." More... glamour - First meant "magic, enchantment" or "art of contriving magic spells." More... magic - Named for the magi, who were regarded as magicians. More... | |