Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, October 19, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Regular and Irregular VerbsRegular verbs form the past simple tense and past participle the same way (-d or -ed), while irregular verbs do not adhere to a distinct or predictable pattern. What common verb is known as a "highly irregular" verb? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Shaanxi Earthquake of 1556The deadliest earthquake on record and the fifth deadliest natural disaster in history, the Shaanxi earthquake of 1556 killed approximately 830,000 people in inner China. The quake destroyed an area spanning 520 miles, and aftershocks continued to rock the region several times a month for half a year. Contributing to the high death toll on the Loess Plateau was the fact that millions of people lived in artificial caves that were destroyed by landslides. What was the earthquake's magnitude? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Streptomycin Is First Isolated (1943)After coining the word "antibiotic" for bacteria-killing chemicals derived from micro-organisms, American microbiologist Selman A. Waksman, working with Albert Schatz, isolated streptomycin—the fourth antibiotic ever discovered. Waksman won the 1952 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery. Streptomycin acts by inhibiting protein synthesis and damaging cell membranes. Produced by soil bacteria, it was the first specific agent effective in the treatment of what disease? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Mordecai "Three Finger" Brown (1876)Nicknamed "Three Finger" by the press because a farming accident in his youth cost him parts of two fingers on his right hand, Brown was one of the top Major League Baseball pitchers at the turn of the 20th century. He used his injury to his advantage, developing a unique grip on the ball that produced an unusual amount of spin, baffling batters. Over the course of his major league career, Brown won 239 games and lost just 130. With what team did he win two World Series championships? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Quotation, n.: the act of repeating erroneously the words of another.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be in tall cotton— To be in a time or period of great success or wellbeing; to be doing very well. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Yorktown Day (2023)On October 19, 1781, Lord Cornwallis surrendered to George Washington's Allied troops at Yorktown, Virginia. The Battle of Yorktown is widely considered to mark the end of the Revolutionary War. Yorktown Day activities held at the Colonial National Historical Park in Yorktown include a commemorative placing of a wreath at the French Monument and the Monument to Alliance and Victory. There are also 18th-century tactical demonstrations, a parade of military and civilian units, and musical presentations by fife and drum units. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: joiningapse - From Latin apsis, meaning "fastening together," it is based on the notion that a vaulted space seems to be the joining together of arcs to form a circle. More... syssarcosis - The joining of two or more bones by muscle. More... couple - Its underlying notion is of "joining," coming from Latin copula, "connection, tie." More... conjugal - From Latin conjugare, "join together (in marriage)"—from com-, "together," and jugare, "yoke"—it has an underlying notion of "joining together." More... | |