Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, March 25, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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hieratic
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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ColonsA colon ( : ) is used after an independent clause to add information that helps illustrate or clarify what it says. How many spaces should be used after a colon? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 LegoLego is a line of toys featuring colorful plastic bricks, gears, and minifigures that can be assembled to create models of almost anything imaginable. The company had very humble beginnings in the workshop of Ole Kirk Christiansen, a poor carpenter from Denmark, but today manufactures about 20 billion bricks a year. A substantial fan culture has developed that has used the toys to build such things as a harpsichord, a pendulum clock, and an electronic lab kit. What does "Lego" mean? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Kills 146 (1911)The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was a clothing manufacturer that occupied the top three floors of a 10-story building in New York. In 1911, a small fire flared up in a dustbin on the 8th floor and quickly spread. Tragically, a number of doors had been locked by management to prevent theft, and fire truck ladders only reached the 6th floor. Dozens of workers jumped to their deaths to escape the conflagration, while others burned alive. What sweeping safety reforms were prompted by the disaster? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Béla Bartók (1881)Bartók was a Hungarian composer, virtuoso pianist, and collector of folk music. In 1904, having discovered that the folk-music repertory generally accepted as Hungarian was in fact largely urban Roma—Gypsy—music, he set about researching Hungarian folk music. He worked folk themes and rhythms into his own music, achieving a style that was at once nationalistic and deeply personal. What surprising discoveries did he make in his study of folk music? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery.Jane Austen (1775-1817) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have a say (in something)— To have an active and participatory role in making or influencing a decision about something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Dismas's Day (2020)According to the Bible, two thieves were crucified with Jesus. The one on his right, traditionally called Dismas, repented and was promised, "Today thou shalt be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23:43). He is therefore the patron saint of persons condemned to death. In the United States, the National Catholic Prison Chaplains' Association, by special permission from Rome, observes the second Sunday in October as Good Thief Sunday and holds masses in American prisons in honor of St. Dismas. March 25 is also the Feast of the Annunciation. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: judgeaffidavit, deponent - An affidavit (literally, "he has stated on oath") is taken by a judge, while the deponent swears, makes, or takes an affidavit. More... arbiter - Latin for "judge, supreme ruler." More... arbitrate - Can mean "give an authoritative decision" (from Latin arbiter). More... judge - From Latin jus, "law," and dicere, "to say." More... | |