Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, April 27, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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exothermic
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Types of Interrogative SentencesAn interrogative sentence is simply a sentence that asks a question—that is, we use it when we interrogate someone for information. Interrogative sentences always end with question marks. What are the four main types of interrogative sentences? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Storm ChasingBroadly defined as the pursuit of any severe weather condition, storm chasing is an endeavor with motives ranging from thrill-seeking to serious scientific research. Although witnessing a tornado is the primary goal for most storm chasers, many enjoy watching thunderstorms, hail, lightning, and other meteorological events as well. Storm chasers are most active in May and June in the American Great Plains region. Who is generally considered the first storm chaser? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Disgruntled Engineer Jams HBO's Satellite Signal (1986)In the early morning hours of April 27, 1986, a Florida electronics store owner moonlighting as a satellite uplink technician decided to protest what he considered unfair programming subscription rates for satellite dish owners. Overriding the signal of the cable network HBO, he transmitted a message to be seen by anyone watching HBO at the time. "Captain Midnight," as he called himself, was eventually fined $5,000 for the stunt. What did he elect to say in those few minutes of airtime? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Herbert Spencer (1820)Admired by some and loathed by others, Spencer was one of the most discussed Victorian thinkers. An English sociologist and philosopher, he was an advocate of the theory of social Darwinism. In his vast, multi-volume System of Synthetic Philosophy, he held that the physical, organic, and social realms are interconnected and develop according to identical evolutionary principles. To describe his theory of sociocultural evolution, he coined what well-known phrase? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 To be blind is not miserable; not to be able to bear blindness, that is miserable.John Milton (1608-1674) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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move through the gears— To steadily increase one's momentum, as of speed, intensity, progress, or success. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Vidalia Onion Festival (2018)There are no tears during this tribute to Georgia's state vegetable, the sweet Vidalia onion, which is said to be burp-free, good for digestion, and tearless. The festival is held in Vidalia at the height of the harvest season, which extends from mid-April to early June.The celebration of the onion includes standard festival fare—music, a street dance, a fishing rodeo and expo, and a fun run. Finally, there are onion-eating contests and a Vidalia Onion Cook-Off, which produces cakes, breads, and muffins made with onions. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: hoodapartheid - From Dutch apart, "separate," and -heid, "-hood," it is pronounced uh-PAHR-tayt or uh-PAHR-tight. More... chaperone, chaperon - Chaperone comes from French chaperon, meaning "hood" or "cowl, head covering," which was worn from the 16th century by ladies who served as guides and guardians; chaperon is the standard spelling and chaperone is a variant resulting from pronunciation. More... cobra - From Portuguese cobra de capello, "snake with hood"—based on Latin colubra, "snake." More... hood - Etymologically, hood and hat are the same word, ultimately both meaning "head-covering." More... | |
| In the News | |
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This Caterpillar Digests Plastic. Could It Help Save the Environment?Federica Bertocchini, a biologist at Spain's Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria and a hobbyist beekeeper, used a common plastic shopping bag to collect pests called wax worms. The caterpillars, the larvae of the moth Galleria ... More... | |