Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, March 5, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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jongleur
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Finite and Non-finite VerbsFinite verbs have subjects and indicate grammatical tense, person, and number. Non-finite verbs do not have tenses or subjects that they correspond to. What are some examples of non-finite verbs? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Space FoodThe weightlessness experienced by humans in space poses a number of challenges in the performance of day-to-day tasks. Early experts feared that weightless conditions would make food difficult to swallow, allowing it to collect dangerously in the throat. Scientists began developing bite-sized cubes, freeze-dried powders, and semiliquid space foods for astronaut use, but the space travelers found the foods unappetizing, difficult to rehydrate, and messy. How have these concerns been addressed? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Meeting of the Homebrew Computer Club (1975)In 1975, computer hobbyists in Silicon Valley, California, decided to meet regularly to exchange ideas. The first meeting took place in a garage. Members of the club would go on to become some of the most influential players in the burgeoning computer industry, including, most notably, Apple founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, who formed their company the next year. What other giants of the industry were members of the Homebrew Computer Club during its early years? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac (1658)Originally of the minor Gascon nobility, Cadillac came to America in 1683 to seek his fortune. He became a favorite of the governor of New France, was placed in charge of a frontier post at Mackinac, and eventually proposed the creation of a new fort with a better strategic position against the English. With a band of colonists, he founded in 1701 what would become the city of Detroit. Ten years later, he was appointed governor of what vast French territory? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Spoon feeding in the long run teaches us nothing but the shape of the spoon.E. M. Forster (1879-1970) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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make a wide stride— To make great and rapid progress or advancement. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Feast of Excited Insects (2018)Known as Gyeongchip in Korea and as Ching Che in China, the Feast of Excited Insects marks the transition from winter to spring. It is the day when the insects are said to come back to life after hibernating all winter. In China, it is the day when "the dragon raises his head," summoning the insects back to life, and people perform various rituals designed to prepare for the onslaught. In Korea, this is one of 24 days in the lunar calendar that marks the beginning of a new season. Farmers prepare their fields and begin planting their barley, cabbage, and other vegetables. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: shootingbiathlon - Consists of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. More... off-hand - Meaning "at once, straightway," it probably originally referred to shooting without a rest or support; as "unpremeditated," it is attested to 1719. More... potshot - Comes from shooting an animal purely for food (pot), rather than for simple conquest. More... scope - First meant "target for shooting," from Greek skopos, "target." More... | |
| In the News | |
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Study suggests a new trick for finding alien civilizationsThe hunt for extraterrestrial life — of any kind, including lowly, long-dead microbes — is lofty enough. But the hunt for intelligent civilizations that could be looking for us in return? It's even more of a long shot. In a new paper published in the ... More... | |