Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, August 21, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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profligate
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Concrete Uncountable NounsConcrete nouns that are uncountable tend to be substances (such as "air," "wood," and "water") or collective categories of things (such as "furniture," "homework," and "luggage"). Concrete uncountable nouns cannot take numbers or plural forms. Why not? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 MegapodesMegapodes are large-footed, chicken-like birds found in Australia and New Guinea. Rather than brood their eggs, females bury them in massive nest-mounds of decaying vegetation that males then tend. Megapode chicks are superprecocial, meaning they hatch in a very mature state that includes having open eyes, feathers, and, in some species, the ability to fly. They typically hatch unattended and therefore do not undergo imprinting. How then do they come to recognize other members of their species? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Demon Core Goes Critical (1945)The Demon Core was a plutonium core—used in nuclear testing at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico—so nicknamed because it resulted in the deaths of two scientists in separate accidents. In 1945, Harry Daghlian accidentally dropped a tungsten carbide brick onto the core, causing it to go "critical," or achieve a chain reaction of nuclear fission. Daghlian stopped the reaction, but died from radiation poisoning a month later. What happened to the second scientist nine months later? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Wilt Chamberlain (1936)One of the greatest offensive players in the history of basketball, "Wilt the Stilt" set many records and led the National Basketball Association in scoring every season from 1959 to 1965. He played in his hometown of Philadelphia with the Warriors and 76ers, and later with California's Los Angeles Lakers. He holds the records for both most points in a single game—100—and most rebounds in a single game—55, which he achieved against his long-time rival Bill Russell. How tall was Chamberlain? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 We are as liable to be corrupted by our books as by our companions.Henry Fielding (1707-1754) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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put in (one's) two cents' worth— To share one's opinion or point of view for whatever it may be worth, generally when it is unasked for. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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.jpg) Salzburg Festival (2025)Although the Salzburg Festival features musical events by a wide variety of composers and performances by internationally celebrated musicians, conductors and singers, the festival has always paid special homage to Mozart. The festival takes place at the end of July and through most of August at different venues throughout Salzburg—most of the operatic and large orchestral pieces are performed in the Festspielhaus, chamber music concerts are usually given in the hall of the Mozarteum, and the Residenz is the scene for serenade concerts held by candlelight. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: meltingfondue - Comes from French fondre, "to melt." More... relent, resolve - Relent and resolve originally meant "melt, dissolve" in literal (under the influence of heat) and figurative senses. More... eliquate - To melt or liquefy. More... clarify - To make clear by removing impurities or solid matter, as by heating gently; to purify butter by melting. More... | |