Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, November 1, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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cirque
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Compound AdjectivesA compound adjective (also known as a compound modifier or a phrasal adjective) is created by two or more words that work jointly to modify the same noun. How are they usually joined together? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The MaasaiThe Maasai are a largely nomadic pastoral people whose territory is divided between Tanzania and Kenya. Their distinctive customs and dress and their proximity to many East African game parks have made them one of the most internationally well-known African ethnic groups. The Maasai measure wealth in terms of cattle and children, rather than money, and someone who has plenty of one but not the other is considered poor. How does killing lions factor into traditional Maasai culture? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Ivy Mike: First Successful Test of a Hydrogen Bomb (1952)Years before the atomic bomb was developed, Edward Teller, Enrico Fermi, and other American nuclear physicists set their sights on developing a weapon with even greater destructive potential—the hydrogen bomb. Their designs would not be realized, however, until after the development of the A-bomb, which is needed to generate the temperatures required to initiate H-bombs' fusion reactions. How did Teller, thousands of miles away during the "Ivy Mike" test, know almost immediately of its success? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Antonio Canova (1757)Canova was an Italian sculptor who was extremely influential in the development of neoclassicism. He produced his first important sculpture, Daedalus and Icarus, in 1779 and was accused of making plaster casts from live models because his figures were so realistic. Among his most important commissions were the tombs of Popes Clement XIII and Clement XIV. In 1802, he became court sculptor to Napoleon I in Paris. How did his love of sculpting ultimately contribute to his death in 1822? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Death is a dignitary who when he comes announced is to be received with formal manifestations of respect, even by those most familiar with him.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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run a temperature— To have an abnormally high body temperature (a fever), which is indicative of or caused by illness. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Algeria National Day (Anniversary of the Revolution) (2018)This national holiday, also known as Revolution Day, commemorates the day in 1954 Algerians began their revolution against the French, who had ruled since 1830. Huge crowds of people celebrate in the capital city of Algiers on the Mediterranean coast. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: privatecloset - First denoted a private or small room. More... privilege - Derives from Latin privus, "private," and leg/lex, "law." More... privity - The state of being private or secret. More... secretary - Comes from Latin, meaning "confidential officer," and first denoted a person, such as a confidant, entrusted with private or secret matters; it should be pronounced SEK-ruh-tair-ee. More... | |
| In the News | |
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Researchers Have Found the First Fossilized Dinosaur BrainDinosaur fossils aren't always the mineralized remnants of bones. Every now and then, you get an impression of a footprint, or the trace outlines of a feathered arm or “wing.” Sometimes, paleontologists strike proverbial gold and find a segment of dinosaur... More... | |