Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, November 3, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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hovercraft
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Dummy PronounsDummy pronouns are words that function grammatically as pronouns, but which do not have antecedents like normal pronouns do. This means that, unlike normal pronouns, dummy pronouns do not replace a noun, phrase, or clause. They are also commonly referred to as what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Tootsie RollsThe Tootsie Roll chocolatey chew has a long history that begins in New York City in 1896. Leo Hirshfield invented the candy as a non-melting, economical alternative to traditional chocolates. Tootsie Rolls were so hardy, in fact, that they were added to soldiers' rations during WWII. As of 2003, Tootsie Roll Industries, Inc. was producing 60 million Tootsie Rolls and 20 million Tootsie Pops, lollipops with a Tootsie Roll filling, every day. During what era did the Tootsie Pop gain popularity? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Laika the Dog Launched into Outer Space (1957)Soviet scientists found her wandering the streets of Moscow. Nicknamed Laika, or "Barker," the little stray dog was recruited because she had already learned to withstand hunger and cold—two things she might experience in space. After intensive training, Laika became the first animal to be launched into orbit. Though she survived the launch—and even ate some food while in orbit—her capsule was not designed for a return trip. Within hours, she overheated and died. How long did the capsule orbit? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Stephen Fuller Austin (1793)Austin was the founder of the first legal colony of English-speaking people in Mexican Texas. Following the death of his father, who had conceived the plan, Austin led 300 families to settle on the Brazos River in 1822. As his colony prospered, US immigrants poured into Mexico. Initially opposed to Texan independence, Austin tried to organize Texas as a Mexican state. He was instead imprisoned by the government for treason, after which he supported the Texas Revolution. What were his last words? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Soap and education are not as sudden as a massacre, but they are more deadly in the long run.Mark Twain (1835-1910) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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in virtue of (something)— Due to something; because of something; by reason of something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Feast of St. Hubert de Liège (2020)St. Hubert (d. 727) is the patron saint of hunters, dogs, and victims of rabies. His feast day is especially honored at the church named for him in the town of St. Hubert, Luxembourg Province, Belgium, on the first weekend in November. People who live in the Forest of Ardennes bring their dogs to the church to be blessed, and St. Hubert's Mass marks the opening of the hunting season. In some places, special loaves of bread are brought to the mass to be blessed, after which everyone eats a piece and feeds the rest to their dogs, horses, and other domestic animals to ward off rabies. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: studentgrammatist - A student of grammar. More... oenologist - A "student of wine." More... civilian - First a student or practitioner of civil law. More... | |