Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, October 27, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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short-handed
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Reflexive VerbsReflexive verbs are verbs whose subjects are also their direct objects—i.e., the action of the verb is both committed and received by the same person or thing. Reflexive verbs are sometimes identified as being in what voice? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Emanuel SwedenborgSwedenborg was a Swedish scientist, theologian, and mystic. After beginning publication of Sweden's first scientific journal, he gradually shifted toward philosophy of nature and metaphysics, believing that the universe had a basically spiritual structure. In 1744, he claimed to have had a vision of Christ, and afterward spent the rest of his career interpreting the Bible and relating what he had seen in his visions. What was Swedenborg said to have predicted through a purported psychic ability? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The First Underground Line of the New York City Subway Opens (1904)Now an integral part of New York City culture, the NYC subway opened its first underground line in 1904—about 35 years after service began on the first elevated line. The subway's early popularity was highlighted in songs like "Take the 'A' Train" and publicity contests like "Miss Subways." Millions of people now ride the city's subways every day, consistently crowding some trains well beyond capacity. What 1888 natural disaster boosted support for the creation of an underground transit system? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Niccolò Paganini (1782)An Italian violinist and composer whose virtuosity is the stuff of legend, Paganini was playing with an orchestra by the age of nine. By the time he reached adulthood, the renowned violinist had also earned a reputation as a shameless womanizer and inveterate gambler. The latter vice once even cost him his prized violin. Nevertheless, he had a profound influence on the evolution of violin technique. Why did the Catholic Church deny him burial in consecrated ground for years following his death? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 To live was then in itself a delight, because living implied seeing.Edwin Abbott (1838-1926) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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never a rose without a/the prick— There is rarely a good or positive thing, event, or circumstance that is not accompanied by something negative or unpleasant (i.e., just as a rose has thorns). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Turkmenistan Independence Day (2021)This national holiday commemorates Turkmenistan's independence from the U.S.S.R. on October 27, 1991. Turkmenistan and other republics were gradually able to establish their own autonomous states due to the relaxation of Soviet rule influenced by the policy of perestroika. When the Soviet Union ceased to exist in December 1991, their independence was assured. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: podpod - A group of whales (or seals or dolphins), or a small flock of birds. More... boll weevil - From Old English wifel, "beetle," and boll, the pod of the cotton plant, which this beetle attacks. More... chalice - From Latin calix, "cup," and Greek kalux, "pod." More... vanilla - Once thought to be an aphrodisiac because its pod resembled the vagina; its name comes from the Spanish for "little vagina." More... | |