Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, September 2, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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nectary
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Interrogative Adjectives in QuestionsWhen interrogative adjectives appear in normal direct questions, they are placed at the beginning of the sentence and are immediately followed by the noun that they modify. What other types of questions can interrogative adjectives appear in? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Apple CiderApple cider is a non-alcoholic drink made from pressing apples, and differs from conventional apple juice in its tart taste and cloudy appearance. It is made from a blend of apples, and each mill keeps its blend secret. Especially popular in the US and Canada, cider is typically best in late autumn. In the US, fermented apple cider is known as hard cider. Hot, or mulled, cider is a popular cider variation, and consists of heated cider and spices. What is the risk of drinking unpasteurized cider? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 "Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick" (1901)While speaking at the 1901 Minnesota State Fair, US Vice President Theodore Roosevelt used the proverb, "Speak softly and carry a big stick." Four days later, President McKinley was shot, and, after McKinley died on the 14th, Roosevelt became president. The statement he made in Minnesota became forever associated with his foreign policy of backing up negotiations with implicit military might, and political cartoons often portrayed him toting the proverbial stick. What is the rest of the saying? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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.png) Frederick Soddy (1877)Working with Ernest Rutherford, Soddy developed a theory of the disintegration of radioactive elements. In 1912, the British chemist was among the first to conclude that elements might exist in chemically indistinguishable forms—now known as isotopes—of different atomic weights. In his 1920 book Science and Life, he described the use of isotopes in determining geologic age. He later applied his scientific background to economic theories. What H.G. Wells novel was inspired by his work? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The page of life that was spread out before me seemed dull and commonplace, only because I had not fathomed its deeper import.Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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idiot mittens— Mittens or gloves that are attached to one's sleeves by a length of yarn or string so as to prevent their being lost. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 National Old-Time Country Music Contest and Festival (2020)Created by Bob Everhart as part of America's bicentennial celebration in 1976, the National Old-Time Country Music Contest and Festival in Avoca, Iowa, is now the largest gathering of public domain music-makers and listeners in the United States. The festival's purpose is to preserve the music that, in Everhart's words, has been "in many instances altered so dramatically that it is no longer recognizable as a traditional American art form." There are more than 30 competitions in such varied musical genres as ragtime, polka, Cajun, mountain, folk, cowboy, Western, yodeling, and gospel. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: hellbarathrum - A bottomless pit or hell. More... fire and brimstone - Eternal punishment in hell (from Genesis 19:24 and Revelation 19:20). More... pandemonium - Literally means abode of all demons (or hell), from Greek pan-, "all," and daimon, "demon(s)." More... hell - The Indo-European root meant "covered or concealed," as hell is supposedly hidden in the dark regions near the Earth's center. More... | |