Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, July 29, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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marque
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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"Wh-" Questions"Wh-" questions (or "question word questions") are questions that seek information by posing a question with a "wh-" question word ("who," "what," "where," "when," "why," and "how"). What kind of answer do these questions seek? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 BacchanaliaNow a term used to describe any drunken revelry, bacchanalia were wild festivals honoring the Greco-Roman god of wine, Bacchus. Introduced around 200 BCE, bacchanalia were originally held in secret 3 times a year and attended only by women. Later, admission was opened to men and celebrations became as frequent as 5 times a month. The notoriety of the festivals led to a Senate decree in 186 BCE prohibiting them except in the event of special approval. What happened to those who defied the decree? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Discovery of Dwarf Planet Eris Is Announced (2005)Though Eris was first photographed in 2003, scientists working at the Palomar Observatory did not realize that they had captured pictures of a previously unknown planet until re-analyzing the images in 2005. That year, news of the newly discovered planet was announced. Slightly larger than Pluto, the icy dwarf planet has its own moon, Dysnomia, and is one of the most distant objects in the solar system. Before its official naming in 2006, it was popularly known by the name of what TV character? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ken Burns (1953)Burns is an acclaimed American director and producer of lengthy historical documentaries. Known for his extensive use of archival footage and photographs, he is considered one of the most influential documentarians in the US. His films have been among public television's most-watched programs, and include The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz, The War, and The National Parks. The Civil War is considered to be his masterpiece. What is the "Ken Burns Effect"? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There is no recollection which time does not put an end to, and no pain which death does not remove.Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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hunt where the ducks are— To pursue or look for one's objectives, results, or goals in the place where one is most likely to find them. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Olav's Day (2020)St. Olav is the patron saint of Norway, and the anniversary of his death is still marked by religious services, fireworks, and public merry-making. Every year the battle in which he died is reenacted during the St. Olav Festival in Trondheim. In the Faroe Islands, this is known as Olavsoka, or "St. Olav's Wake," a national holiday. Parliament opens on the 29th, but the festivities—which include dancing, sports events, speeches, drinking, and a parade of members of Logting (parliament)—begin the night before and continue into the early hours of the 30th. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: newsgazette - A gazzetta, a Venetian coin of little value, gave rise to the phrase gazzetta de la novita, "halfpennyworth of news," which eventually gave us gazette. More... silly season - Any slow news period characterized by trivial news or no news. More... tidings - Probably comes from Old Norse tithindi, "news of events." More... report - To report something is etymologically to "carry it back," from Latin reportare; the metaphorical sense of "bringing back news" also developed in Latin. More... | |