Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, December 8, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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careen
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Starting Sentences with Subordinating ConjunctionsWhile it's a commonly quoted belief that a sentence should not begin with the word "because," this is not an actual grammatical rule. Sentences can begin with "because" (and any other subordinating conjunction) as long as the sentence is not what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Inscription of BehistunCarved about 328 ft (100 m) up the face of a cliff in Iran's Kermanshah Province, the Behistun Inscription recounts the reign of Darius I of Persia in 3 cuneiform languages: Old Persian, Susian, and Assyrian. The decipherment of these 6th century BCE inscriptions provided scholars with the key to cuneiform script, becoming to cuneiform what the Rosetta Stone is to Egyptian hieroglyphs. How were 19th-century scholars able to copy the inscription? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Shooter Opens Fire at Damageplan Concert, Killing Four (2004)Not long after American heavy metal band Pantera disbanded and two of its founding members, brothers "Dimebag" Darrell and Vinnie Paul Abbott, formed the band Damageplan, the group released its debut album. Sadly, it would also be its last. During a concert in Columbus, Ohio, later that year, former US Marine Nathan Gale went on a shooting rampage, killing Darrell along with a fan, a roadie, and a security guard before being fatally shot by a police officer. Why did Gale do it? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Camille Claudel (1864)A skilled French sculptor in her own right, Claudel is best remembered for being a student, collaborator, model, and mistress of famed sculptor Auguste Rodin. The two had a tumultuous affair that began to crumble in the 1890s, and Claudel, who suffered from mental illness, became increasingly unstable and reclusive. She was committed in 1913 and remained institutionalized until her death 30 years later. Her work is highly valued by collectors, but little of it survives today. Why is this? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 To admit authorities, however heavily furred and gowned, into our libraries and let them tell us how to read, what to read, what value to place upon what we read, is to destroy the spirit of freedom which is the breath of those sanctuaries. Everywhere else we may be bound by laws and conventions—there we have none.Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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mind (one's) manners— To be well behaved and act appropriately. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Day of the Beaches (2021)In Uruguay, December 8 is known as the Day of the Beaches because it marks the official opening of the beach season on the coast known as the "Uruguayan Riviera." There are ceremonies in which a priest blesses the waters, sailing regattas, horseback riding competitions, and an international shooting contest at Carrasco. Sometimes this day is referred to as Family Day or Blessing of the Waters Day. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: medical termbrainstorm - By the 1890s, it was a medical term for "mental explosion". More... canities - The medical term for the graying or whitening of hair. More... repercussion - First a medical term for "repressing an infection." More... tension - Originally a medical term for the condition of being physically strained. More... | |