Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, May 18, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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egotist
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Factitive VerbsFactitive verbs are used to indicate the resulting condition or state of a person, place, or thing caused by the action of the verb. What is this resulting condition or state known as? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Conspiracy of Claudius CivilisThe Conspiracy of Claudius Civilis, an oil painting by Dutch master painter Rembrandt, depicts a Roman historian's account of an episode from the Batavian rebellion, led by the one-eyed chieftain Claudius Civilis. At around 16 x 16 ft (5 x 5 m), it was Rembrandt's largest completed work before it was reduced in size for sale. Commissioned in the mid-17th century by Amsterdam's city council for the city hall, it was returned to Rembrandt after being displayed for only a short time. Why? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Plessy v. Ferguson: "Separate but Equal" Ruled Constitutional (1896)In this case, the US Supreme Court upheld a Louisiana statute mandating racially segregated railroad cars, ruling that the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment dealt with political and not social equality. This provided constitutional sanction for the adoption of the Jim Crow laws. Justice Henry Billings Brown wrote the majority opinion, stating that "separate but equal" laws did not imply one race's inferiority to another. What prompted Homer Plessy to serve as the case's plaintiff? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Isabella d'Este (1474)One of the leading women of the Italian Renaissance, d'Este was a major cultural and political figure. She had a shrewd political acumen and ruled Mantua as regent for her son after the death of her husband. Known as "The First Lady of the World," she was well-educated, a skilled musician and singer, and a renowned patron of the arts. Her simple style made her a trendsetter, and her fashion was imitated throughout Italy and France. Which artist did she repeatedly ask to paint her portrait? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Hard work is simply the refuge of people who have nothing whatever to do.Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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take ill— To be or become sick or unwell. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Toshogu Haru-No-Taisai (2022)This festival provides the most spectacular display of ancient samurai costumes and weaponry in Japan. The Toshogu Shrine, in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, was built in 1617 to house the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), the first of the Tokugawa shoguns. On the first day of the festival, dignitaries and members of the Tokugawa family make offerings to the deities of the shrine, and warriors on horseback shoot at targets with bows and arrows. The next morning, more than 1,000 people take part in the procession from Toshogu to Futarasan Shrine, including hundreds of samurai warriors. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: meltingfondue - Comes from French fondre, "to melt." More... relent, resolve - Relent and resolve originally meant "melt, dissolve" in literal (under the influence of heat) and figurative senses. More... eliquate - To melt or liquefy. More... clarify - To make clear by removing impurities or solid matter, as by heating gently; to purify butter by melting. More... | |