Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, June 5, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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hookah
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Adverbs of DegreeAdverbs of degree are used to indicate the intensity, degree, or extent of the verb, adjective, or adverb they are modifying. What are grading adverbs? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 LaharsA lahar is a destructive mudflow that travels down the slopes of a volcano when water, often from a heavy rainfall, lake breakout, or water body or glacier displaced or melted by an eruption, mixes with rocky debris and volcanic ash. Lahars can travel up to 60 mph (100 km/h) and are similar to concrete in consistency. In 1985, lahars created by the eruption of Colombia’s Nevado del Ruiz buried 22,000 people in 26 ft (8 m) of mud. What places are considered to be particularly at risk for lahars? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Brandeis Sworn in as Justice of US Supreme Court (1916)Brandeis was an American lawyer and the author of the "Brandeis Brief," a report that detailed the impact of long working hours on women and revolutionized the practice of law. He was also a leader of the American Zionist movement. Appointed to the Supreme Court by Woodrow Wilson in 1916, he served until 1939 and was the first Jew to hold that office. Brandeis University, a liberal arts university located in Waltham, Massachusetts, is named after him. Why was he called the "people's lawyer"? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ruth Fulton Benedict (1887)Benedict was an American anthropologist whose theories have had a profound influence on cultural anthropology. Her landmark text Patterns of Culture was published in 1934, at a time when her field was dominated by men. In it, she promotes cultural relativism—the assessment of cultural practices within their own cultural context. From a young age, she was fascinated with death and was drawn to studying how other cultures treat death. Whose "cult of grief" did Benedict despise? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 History fades into fable; fact becomes clouded with doubt and controversy; the inscription molders from the tablet; the statue falls from the pedestal. Columns, arches, pyramids, what are they but heaps of sand—and their epitaphs, but characters written in the dust?Washington Irving (1783-1859) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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tell (someone's) fortune— To (profess to) anticipate and inform someone about certain outcomes or events in their near or distant future. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Denmark Constitution Day (2022)This public holiday commemorates the constitution signed on June 5, 1849, that made Denmark a constitutional monarchy, and the one signed on June 5, 1953, that created parliamentary reforms. A parade takes place in Copenhagen, and other festivities are held in villages throughout Denmark. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: sailscrab-skuit - A small, open fishing boat with sails. More... haul - Originally had the nautical meaning of "to trim the sails to sail closer to the wind." More... sail - Once meant specifically "to travel on a ship with sails," and, later, "to travel on any ship"; figuratively, it means "to go through effortlessly," as in, "to sail through the exam." More... three sheets to the wind - Pertains to chains that regulate the angle of sails; if the sheets were loose, the boat would become unstable and tipsy. More... | |