Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, March 31, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Personal PronounsA personal pronoun is a pronoun that represents a grammatical person within a sentence. While personal pronouns often do indicate actual people, what else can they refer to? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Masamune OkazakiWidely recognized as Japan's greatest swordsmith, Masamune is thought to have forged most of his swords in the 14th c, but because no exact dates are known for his birth or death, he has attained an almost legendary status. With a reputation for superior beauty and quality—remarkable at a time when the steel used in sword making was often impure—his swords are often referred to by the name of their maker, much like famous works of art. What is the best known Masamune, and where is it today? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Alhambra Decree Is Issued (1492)Fourteen years after Ferdinand II and Isabella I, the "Catholic Monarchs" of Spain, established the Spanish Inquisition to discover and punish converted Jews—and later Muslims—who were insincere, they issued the Alhambra Decree, an edict ordering the expulsion of all Jews who refused to convert to Christianity. Any Jew who did not convert or leave by the deadline faced execution. Non-Jews found sheltering or hiding Jews had all of their belongings seized. When was the edict officially revoked? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 César Chávez (1927)As the child of Mexican-American migrant laborers, Chávez spent his childhood in a succession of migrant camps, attending 65 different elementary schools. After a two-year stint in the Navy, he returned to migrant farm work and, in 1962, began organizing the largely Latino farmworkers of Arizona and California. A charismatic figure, he used strikes and nationwide boycotts to win union recognition and contracts from California grape and lettuce growers. How long did the first strike last? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 In a democracy the poor will have more power than the rich, because there are more of them, and the will of the majority is supreme.Aristotle (384 BC-322 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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in full gear— At the highest or maximum level of function, operation, or performance. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Malta Freedom Day (2024)In 1814, Malta became a crown colony of the British empire. Although Malta gained independence in 1964, the British armed forces did not completely leave until March 31, 1979. This freed Malta of foreign military occupation for the first time in history. In Malta, Freedom Day is a public holiday that commemorates the day the last of the British military left the Maltese Islands. On this holiday, a ceremony is held at the War Memorial in Floriana. The main events of the day take place around the Freedom Day Monument in Vittoriosa. In the afternoon, a competitive regatta is held in Grand Harbour. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pinkpink - If you pink your eyes, you half-shut them. More... in the pink - Comes from the English foxhunting tradition; people who foxhunt often wear scarlet jackets and are called pinks—so if you are in the pink, you are about to set off to gallop your horse across country. More... incarnadine - Can mean "flesh-colored or pink," but also "crimson, blood-red." More... pink - The color gets its name from the flowering plant of the same name. More... | |