Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, December 17, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Exclamation Points with OnomatopoeiasWhen we use onomatopoeias (words that phonetically imitate particular sounds), we can use an exclamation point to emphasize the intensity of the sound. Where is the exclamation point placed in the sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 OneOften known as the loneliest number, one, in mathematics, is the smallest whole number, the first cardinal number, and the first and second number in the Fibonacci sequence, the infinite sequence of numbers in which each term is the sum of the two terms preceding it. The glyph used today in the Western world to represent one—a vertical line, often with a serif at the top and sometimes a short horizontal line at the bottom—traces its roots back centuries. Is one a prime number? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Wright Brothers Make Their Famous Flight (1903)Both excellent mechanics, brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright built and repaired bicycles before turning their attention to flying machines. They spent years designing and testing gliders and also built a powerful four-cylinder engine and an efficient propeller. In 1903, after several failed attempts, the brothers succeeded in making the first controlled, sustained flights in a power-driven airplane. How long did the first, history-making flight near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, last? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Sir Humphry Davy (1778)Davy was an English chemist and one of the greatest exponents of the scientific method. His discovery of the anesthetic effect of nitrous oxide was a major contribution to surgery. He did early research on voltaic cells and batteries, tanning, electrolysis, and mineral analysis, and was the first to systematically apply chemical principles to farming. His research on mine explosions and his invention of the safety lamp brought him great prestige. Davy also proved that diamond is a form of what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It has been a bitter mortification for me to digest the conclusion that the 'race is for the strong' and that I shall probably do little more but be content to admire the strides others made in science.Charles Darwin (1809-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be potty about (something)— To be very excited or enthusiastic (about something). Primarily heard in UK. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Saturnalia (2019)This Ancient Roman Winter Solstice festival began on December 17 and lasted for seven days. It was held in honor of Saturn, the father of the gods, and was characterized by the suspension of discipline and reversal of the usual order. Grudges and quarrels were forgotten; businesses, courts, and schools closed down; and masquerading or change of dress between the sexes often occurred. The festivities were characterized by various kinds of excesses—giving rise to the modern use of the term saturnalian, meaning "a period of unrestrained license and revelry." More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: projectingledgit - A label or memo slip projecting from a book's pages. More... broach - Comes from Latin brocchus/broccus, "projecting." More... eminent - Can mean "projecting, protruding" and is based on Latin eminere, "project." More... eaves - Its etymological meaning is "going over the edge, projecting." More... | |