Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, May 5, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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crotchet
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Comparative AdverbsComparative adverbs, like comparative adjectives, are used to describe differences and similarities between two things. Comparative adverbs and comparative adjectives sometimes have the same form. However, even when the forms are the same, how can we tell the difference between the two? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 AviophobiaAviophobia, also called aviatophobia, is the fear of flying or being on an airplane while it is in flight. Because air travel is difficult to avoid, this fear can be crippling both professionally as well as personally. While a significant portion of the population experiences anxiety related to air travel, the fear only becomes aviophobia when it significantly interferes with a person's ability to travel by air. What are some techniques a person with aviophobia can use to conquer this fear? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Cinco de Mayo (1862)Cinco de Mayo, the "Fifth of May," is a Mexican holiday that commemorates the Mexican army's unexpected victory over invading French troops at the Battle of Puebla. It is widely observed in Mexico and the US, particularly as a celebration of Mexican culture. However, it is distinct from Mexico's Independence Day, which is held annually on September 16 and commemorates Mexico's independence from Spanish rule in 1810. What became of the French after the Battle of Puebla? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Elizabeth Cochrane, AKA Nellie Bly (1864)Cochrane was a pioneering female journalist who wrote under the pseudonym Nellie Bly. She wrote investigative articles on topics such as the plight of female factory workers, and as a young woman worked as a foreign correspondent in Mexico. She later feigned insanity to gain access to an asylum and wrote an exposé that prompted much-needed reforms. In 1889, she circumnavigated the globe in 72 days, besting the fictional feat conceived by Jules Verne. What famous figure did she meet on the way? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Every man is surrounded by a neighborhood of voluntary spies.Jane Austen (1775-1817) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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cloud of suspicion— A general sentiment of suspicion of wrongdoing or illegality. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Wiesbaden May Festival (2020)Germany's second oldest music festival (after the Bayreuth Festival) is the Wiesbaden May Festival, founded in 1896. Kaiser Wilhelm II came to Wiesbaden, which is about 26 miles west of Frankfurt, to officiate at the grand opening. The month-long festival offers eight or nine full-length operas performed in the original language, symphonic concerts, ballet, drama, experimental theater, and mime. Most of the festival events are held in the rococo-style Hessian State Theater, the Kleines Haus (a small auditorium for plays), and the Kurhaus (for symphonic concerts). More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: specializingcreperie - A restaurant specializing in crepes. More... abandannad - A pickpocket specializing in bandannas or handkerchiefs. More... cinematheque - A small movie theater specializing in art or classic films. More... academic press - Also called a university press; a publishing house associated with a university or other scholarly institution, specializing in the publication of scholarly books and journals, particularly works written by its faculty. More... | |