Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, February 26, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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caterwaul
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Secondary InterjectionsSecondary interjections are interjections derived from words that belong to other word classes—they may be adjectives, nouns, or entire clauses. They have nothing to do with the grammar of the sentences that come before or after them. What are some common secondary interjections? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Very Large TelescopeSet on a remote and inhospitable mountain in Chile's Atacama Desert, the Very Large Telescope (VLT) is actually an array of four large telescopes. The telescopes can be operated together to achieve an angular resolution so precise that the array could theoretically be used to distinguish between the two headlights of a car on the Moon. The VLT captured the first image of a planet outside the solar system. What do the four telescopes' names mean in the local Mapudungun language? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Barings Bank Collapse (1995)A cautionary tale for financial institutions the world over, the collapse of Barings Bank, a centuries-old British bank, resulted from the activities of a single, unscrupulous employee. The man in question, derivatives broker Nick Leeson, made unauthorized, unhedged futures transactions on Nikkei, racking up £827 million ($1.3 billion) in losses in no time. He hid these losses by reporting them as gains and got away with it due to a lack of oversight. What brought the whole scheme crashing down? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody (1846)Cody's father passed away when he was just a boy, leaving him to support the family. He worked as a wagoner, trapper, and prospector before joining the Pony Express at 14. After serving in the American Civil War, he became a buffalo hunter—hence the nickname "Buffalo Bill." Writers chronicled his frontier exploits, making him a folk hero. He capitalized on his fame with "Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show," which toured the US and Europe for decades. How many buffalo did Bill claim to have killed? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Summer afternoon...the two most beautiful words in the English language.Henry James (1843-1916) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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carry (someone) off their feet— To completely overwhelm someone with enthusiasm, ardor, or passion. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Kuwait Liberation Day (2022)After Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's troops invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, several countries in the United Nations formed a military coalition—including troops and equipment from the US, France, and Britain—to force them out. Operation Desert Storm began on January 17, 1991, and, for five weeks, US and British air forces relentlessly bombed Baghdad. This was followed by four days of a ground war, which resulted in Hussein's troops leaving Kuwait. February 26 is a national holiday in Kuwait celebrating the end of Iraq's military presence in Kuwait. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: organismcultivar - An organism resulting from cultivation, from the combination of "cultivated variety." More... scientific name - The recognized Latin name given to an organism, consisting of a genus and species, according to a taxonomy; also called the binomial name. More... soma - The body of an organism. More... macronutrient - One required in relatively large amounts by organisms, e.g. carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. More... | |