Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, March 27, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using the Past Perfect Continuous for Past Durations of TimeWe can use the past perfect continuous tense to describe the duration of continuous past action. The meaning is very similar to the present perfect continuous tense in this way. However, whereas the present perfect continuous describes an action that was happening up until the present moment, the past perfect continuous highlights what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Wilhelm ScreamOften used when a character is plummeting to his death, the Wilhelm scream is a stock sound effect that has been featured in over a hundred films, television shows, and video games since it was first used in the 1951 film Distant Drums. The tradition of inserting the sound into films began when Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt tracked down the original recording—a studio reel labeled "man being eaten by alligator"—and named the sound effect after whom? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Tenerife Disaster (1977)The Tenerife Disaster was a passenger plane accident that resulted in the highest number of fatalities of any single accident in aviation history, excluding ground fatalities. It occurred when two Boeing 747s, a KLM flight in the midst of takeoff and a PanAm flight taxing in the opposite direction, collided at Los Rodeos Airport on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, killing 583 people. What bombing led both planes to be diverted to the Tenerife airport in the first place? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Karl Pearson (1857)English scientist and professor of mathematics Karl Pearson was an instrumental figure in the development of mathematical statistics. In 1911, he became professor of eugenics at the University of London and director of the eugenics laboratory. A disciple of Francis Galton, Pearson applied statistical methods to the study of biological problems, especially evolution and heredity, in a science he called biometrics. Today, Pearson's views on eugenics are considered deeply racist. Why? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Live, and be happy, and make others so.Mary Shelley (1797-1851) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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short on looks— Homely; rather plain or unattractive; not aesthetically pleasing. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Myanmar Armed Forces Day (2022)Throughout most of the 1800s, the Union of Myanmar, known as Burma until 1989, was ruled by the British. Aung San, an outspoken student leader, helped the Japanese oust the British, and the Japanese ruled Burma from 1942 until 1945. On March 27, 1945, he helped the World War II Allied forces remove the Japanese from power. Myanmar celebrates Armed Forces Day on March 27 to commemorate the day that Aung San rebelled against the Japanese. The day is celebrated with a military parade and fireworks. Since 1989, the Tatmadaw has made it a tradition to pardon several prisoners on this day. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: lawsautonomy - From Greek autos, "self," and nomos, "law," i.e. a person or unit that makes its own laws. More... blue sky laws - Laws protecting the public from securities fraud. More... code, codex - Code, from Latin codex, meaning "block of wood split into tablets, document written on wood tablets," was first a set of laws. More... constitute, constitution - Constitute can mean "make laws" and a constitution is a "how-to" document for a government or organization. More... | |