Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, February 14, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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doggerel
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Past Continuous TenseAlso called the past progressive, the past continuous tense is used to describe something that was in progress at a certain moment in the past. Why is it called the past continuous? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Great Mississippi FloodThe Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in US history. Following heavy rains in 1926, the Mississippi River broke out of its levee system in 145 places, causing over $400 million in damages and killing 246 people in seven states. After the disaster, the federal government took over flood-control work—stabilizing river banks, improving channels, and constructing levees, floodwalls, floodways, and reservoirs. What famous song was written about the flood? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Ayatollah Khomeini Calls for the Execution of Author Salman Rushdie (1989)When British-Indian author Salman Rushdie's fourth novel, The Satanic Verses, was published in 1988, it received much critical acclaim, but it was also the subject of intense controversy within the Muslim community due to its allegedly blasphemous content. Particularly outraged was Iran's political and religious leader Ayatollah Khomeini, who issued a call for Rushdie's execution. What misunderstanding about the book's title, as translated into Arabic, may have contributed to the crisis? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Anna Howard Shaw (1847)Some feminists observe Shaw's birthday in place of Valentine's Day, celebrating her legacy as a leading American suffragist, doctor, and lecturer. During World War I, she coordinated women's activities in the war effort, becoming the first woman to earn the Distinguished Service Medal. After becoming a close confidante of Susan B. Anthony, Shaw worked as one of the most effective speakers of the suffrage movement. She was also a minister who became the first woman to be ordained by what church? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 She had a pretty gift for quotation, which is a serviceable substitute for wit.W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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land-poor— Owning a large amount of land that is unprofitable and being without the means to maintain it or capitalize on its fertility. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Vinegrower's Day (2021)This pre-harvest vineyard festival in Bulgaria involves pruning the vines and sprinkling them with wine. Ritual songs and dances are performed in hopes of a plentiful grape harvest. In some areas, a "Vine King" is crowned with a wreath of twigs from the vineyards. Everyone treats him with great respect, for it is believed that fertility depends on the King's happiness. Visits to well-known Bulgarian vineyards are organized, the vines are pruned, and guests are given an opportunity to sample the local wine and foods. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: nakedgymnasium - A school where Greek youths were given athletic training while naked (gymnos). More... hare, rabbit, jackrabbit - Hares live in the open and bear young that have fur at birth, while rabbits live in burrows and bear young that are naked at birth; jackrabbits are hares, not rabbits. More... stark naked - A corruption of start naked, from Anglo-Saxon steort, "tail" —as it described being naked to the tail. More... stag - To go in stag meant to "go naked," which influenced the later "stag party." More... | |