Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, December 27, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Action VerbsThere are many different categories of verbs that describe different kinds of actions or states of being. Action verbs describe an active process that results in an effect. What are these verbs also known as? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Cities of RefugeCities of refuge were towns in the ancient Kingdoms of Israel and Judah in which the perpetrators of manslaughter could claim the right of asylum. Outside of these cities, blood vengeance against such perpetrators was allowed by law. According to some regulations, perpetrators who had claimed asylum were to be taken from the city and put on trial; if found innocent, they were to be returned safely to the city of refuge, which they could ultimately leave without fear of harm when what happened? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Radio City Music Hall Opens in New York City (1932)Developed by John D. Rockefeller, Jr., the Radio Corporation of America, and the creator of the Roxy Theatre, New York's landmark Radio City Music Hall opened with a lavish variety show that was not well received. Instead, the world's largest indoor theater began showing movies with accompanying stage spectacles. Recently, it has focused on concerts and live events such as the Grammy Awards. Its annual Christmas show remains a popular tourist attraction. What was the first film shown there? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Louis Pasteur (1822)Perhaps best remembered for developing the pasteurization process, Pasteur was a French microbiologist who made great strides in keeping people safe by revolutionizing contemporary thinking about diseases. He proved that food spoilage was due to exposure to microorganisms, leading to the use of heat pasteurization to kill bacteria. He developed vaccines against anthrax, cholera, and rabies, and his work on silkworm diseases saved the French silk industry. What was "Pasteur's Deception"? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 If there is one thing worse that the modern weakening of major morals, it is the modern strengthening of minor morals. Thus it is considered more withering to accuse a man of bad taste than of bad ethics.Gilbert Chesterton (1874-1936) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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(it's) just as well (that) (something happened)— It is or turned out to be beneficial (that something happened). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Dian Fossey Day (2020)American conservationist Dian Fossey (1932-1985) conducted groundbreaking research on Rwanda's mountain gorillas, a species long victimized by wide-scale poaching, and helped ensure their preservation. Fossey was murdered in her cabin at a research center in the Virunga Mountains on December 27, 1985. Ceremonies for the anniversary of her death take place in Volcanoes National Park, which contains a permanent memorial to the zoologist. Individuals typically perform traditional dances, while government officials deliver speeches and lay wreaths on her grave site. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: trunkbillet - A civilian house where soldiers are lodged temporarily; a billet is also a thick piece of wood, from Latin billa/billus, "branch, trunk." More... trunk - As a box or chest, it was originally made from a tree trunk. More... bole - Another name for the trunk of a tree. More... stocky - A derivative of stock, which first meant "trunk, block of wood," in Old English. More... | |