Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, November 4, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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bellicose
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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ObjectsGrammatical objects are nouns or pronouns that complete the meaning of verbs and prepositions. What is an indirect object? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Ibn BattutaIn 1325, Ibn Battuta embarked on an extraordinary 75,000-mile (120,675-km) journey via Mecca to Egypt, East Africa, India, and China. He set out at age 21 and returned home some 30 years later. No other medieval traveler is known to have journeyed so extensively. The details of his travels are recorded in a narrative titled The Adventures of Ibn Battuta. His inventions and academic work are also renowned. What nearly cost Ibn Battuta his life en route to China? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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_cropped.jpg) Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin Is Assassinated (1995)Rabin was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his role in the historic Oslo Accords—widely considered a major milestone in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process—but not everyone supported the treaty, which stipulated that Israel would withdraw from certain contested Palestinian territories. Following a Tel Aviv peace rally, Rabin was shot and killed by Yigal Amir, an extremist Israeli law student who opposed Rabin's peace efforts. What Jewish law did Amir claim justified the assassination? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Carlos Polestico Garcia (1896)After graduating from law school, Garcia became a schoolteacher, poet, and public official in his native Philippines. Elected vice president in 1953, he became president upon his predecessor's unexpected death in 1957. Though he maintained ties with the US, he was known for his "Filipino First" policy, which emphasized the sovereignty and economic interests of the Filipino people over those of outsiders. He retired from public life in 1961. However, in 1971, he died just days after doing what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The offhand decision of some commonplace mind high in office at a critical moment influences the course of events for a hundred years.Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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glimmer of hope— A minute indication that something may improve, succeed, or turn out for the best in the end. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Kartika Purnima (2017)Hindus celebrate Kartika Purnima in honor of the day when God incarnated himself as the Matsya Avatar in fish form. According to Hindu mythology, the purpose of this incarnation was to save Vavaswata, the seventh Manu and progenitor of the human race, from destruction by a deluge. Bathing in the Ganges or in other holy water is considered to be of special religious significance. Hindus spend the day fasting, meditating, and performing charitable acts. It is also believed the Shankara killed the demon Tripurasura on this day, for which he is also called the Tripurari. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: shouthue and cry - Somewhat redundant, as hue means "shout, make an outcry"; hue and cry was a medieval law requiring that all citizens within earshot give chase to a fleeing criminal. More... jubilate - From a Latin word meaning "shout for joy." More... slogan - From Scottish-Gaelic slaugh, "army," and gairm, "shout"—since the first slogans were actually battle cries. More... claim - The etymological notion behind claim is "calling out," from Latin clamare, "cry out, shout." More... | |
| In the News | |
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Can Dutch Chimps Pick up a Scottish Accent? Scientists Aren't So Sure.Can chimpanzees learn new accents? A widely-covered study published in February that suggested that primates can adapt their grunts to match those of new neighbors in new places is now being questioned by a group of primatologists.The original study ... More... | |