Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, March 7, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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musette
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Gender in NounsThere are some instances in which nouns are declined to show masculine or feminine gender. How is a noun made feminine? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 GuaymíThe Guaymí are an indigenous group living primarily within the Ngöbe-Buglé region of western Panama. Spanish conquistadors found 3 Guaymí tribes—the Nata, Parita, and Urracá—after settling Panama in the 16th century. Urracá, leader of the tribe that took his name, is the most well known of the 3 tribal chiefs. Famed as a Panamanian freedom fighter, Urracá battled and defeated the Spaniards on several occasions. In what mainstream industries do members of the once-isolated Guaymí tribes now work? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Alexander Graham Bell Awarded US Patent for Telephone (1876)Originally an audiologist, professor, and teacher of the deaf, Bell became interested in the idea of transmitting sound waves by wire when he misread a thesis by a German physicist. He mistakenly believed that the thesis implied such a transmission was possible. It did not, but Bell's idea was sound. Later, he described his mistranslation as a "valuable blunder." Three days after receiving a patent for his device, he spoke the first sentence ever transmitted by telephone. What was it? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Luther Burbank (1849)The 13th child of a Massachusetts farmer, Burbank received little formal education, yet he went on to become a groundbreaking horticulturist. Influenced by Charles Darwin's writings, he began breeding plants at age 21. The rapid success of his Burbank potato, the russet variety of which is now the most widely-grown potato in the US, allowed him to move to California and establish an experimental farm, where he developed more than 800 varieties of plants. What is his spineless cactus used for? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It was the policy of the good old gentleman to make his children feel that home was the happiest place in the world; and I value this delicious home-feeling as one of the choicest gifts a parent can bestow.Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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harp away at (someone or something)— To complain about or dwell upon someone or something repeatedly and to the point of tediousness. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Bal du Rat Mort (2020)A huge carnival and ball, Bal du Rat Mort is concentrated in the casino of Ostende, Belgium, but also spread out all over the town. The carnival began at the end of the 19th century, launched by members of the Oostende Art and Philanthropic Circle (Circle Coecilia) who named the affair for a café on Montmartre (a hilly part of northern Paris, home to many artists) where they had whiled away pleasant hours. People are masked at the ball, and there's a competition for the best costume. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: impactfighting fire with fire - Early American settlers had to put out great prairie fires and learned that setting a circle or strip of land on fire could stop the path or lessen the impact of a big fire—giving us the phrase "fighting fire with fire." More... freezing rain - Rain that freezes on impact with the ground or objects. More... draw - The billiard ball's recoil after impact. More... impinge, infringe - To impinge is to come into contact or encroach or have an impact; to infringe is to encroach on a right or privilege or to violate. More... | |