Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, August 29, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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lentigo
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Introducing Lists with ColonsThe most commonly cited use for a colon is to introduce a list of information. In many cases, the list is simply an extension of the existing sentence. What is this type of list known as? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Total Solar Eclipse of 1999Often considered the most-viewed total solar eclipse in human history, the eclipse of August 11, 1999, was the first total eclipse visible from Europe in nearly a decade. The path of the moon's shadow began in the Atlantic Ocean just before noon and traversed England, France, Germany, Austria, Hungary, and Serbia before reaching maximum coverage in Romania and continuing across Bulgaria, the Black Sea, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and India. What spacecraft also observed the moon's shadow? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 US Air Force Nuclear Weapons Incident (2007)In 2007, six cruise missiles with nuclear warheads were mistakenly loaded onto a US Air Force bomber and transported from Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana without the knowledge the flight crew. A military investigation of the incident found that a number of procedures for handling nuclear weapons had been carried out improperly by numerous service members. Disciplinary actions were taken against many officers, including what high-ranking officials? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ingrid Bergman (1915)Bergman was a Swedish actress who specialized in portrayals of strong, sophisticated women. Her radiance and unaffected charm made her a star in films such as Casablanca, Gaslight, and Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious. A scandal caused by her affair with director Roberto Rossellini kept her off the US screen for seven years and forced her to return to Europe until 1956, when she made her successful Hollywood comeback in Anastasia. How many Academy Awards did she win? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Having learned the trick of beating and loving and suffering, the poor faithful heart persisted, although it lived on memories and carried on its sentimental operations mostly in secret.Kate Wiggin (1856-1923) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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blood in the water— The exposure of a competitive weakness in an opponent that arouses increased competitive aggression in others. Likened to the literal presence of blood in water that causes aquatic predators (such as sharks) to seek out and attack prey. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Burning Man (2016)Burning Man is a counterculture festival held in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, conceived by Larry Harvey in 1986 to honor the Summer Solstice. It has since become a populist phenomenon, where participants set up a temporary "city," creating their own community. People are expected to interact with one another, produce and display artwork, play music, do sponteneous performances—as long as they actively participate. The 50-foot-high Man towers over Black Rock City until the climax of the festival on Saturday night, when the figure is ignited and the Man becomes a fiery blaze. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: papyrusvolume - Originally the name of a scroll or roll of papyrus, from Latin volvere, "to roll up." More... bible - Derived from biblios, the name for the papyrus produced in the ancient Phoenician city of Byblos. More... schedule - Goes back to Greek skhede, for "leaf of papyrus"; it started out meaning a ticket or a brief note. More... tome - Comes from Greek tomos, "roll of papyrus," and was originally a word for one volume of a larger work. More... | |