Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, June 22, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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nimiety
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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The Modal VerbsA modal auxiliary verb is used to change the meaning of other verbs (commonly known as main verbs) by expressing modality—that is, asserting (or denying) possibility, likelihood, ability, permission, obligation, or future intention. What are the nine "true" modal auxiliary verbs? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Lymph NodesThese white blood cell-filled filters are the lymphatic system's filtration units. They collect and destroy dangerous bacteria, viruses, and foreign particles that infiltrate the body. There are approximately 500 to 600 lymph nodes throughout the body, with clusters in the neck, underarms, chest, groin, and abdomen. The bean-shaped nodes normally range in size from a few millimeters up to 2 centimeters but may become enlarged due to the presence of a tumor. What else causes lymph nodes to swell? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Hammond Circus Train Wreck (1918)On the morning of June 22, 1918, a locomotive pulling empty passenger cars rear-ended the Hagenbeck-Wallace circus train near Hammond, Indiana. The wreck and subsequent fire—likely ignited by the oil lamps in the circus train's wooden sleeping cars—resulted in 86 deaths and 127 injuries. Most of the dead were buried five days later in a nearby cemetery, their graves marked with nicknames like "Baldy" and "Smiley" since many bodies could not be formally identified. What caused the collision? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Erich Maria Remarque (1898)Drafted into the German army at age 18, Remarque served in World War I and was wounded several times. From his experience of trench warfare, he drew a grimly realistic picture of the horror of battle in his first novel and masterpiece, All Quiet on the Western Front. It was an immediate international success, and Remarque went on to write several other novels. All Quiet on the Western Front was later burned by the Nazis, who guillotined which of his family members in 1943? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost.Gilbert Chesterton (1874-1936) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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miss the mark— To be slightly or somewhat mistaken, incorrect, or inaccurate. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Midsummer (Sweden) (2018)The Swedish begin their Midsommar celebration on the Friday before Midsummer Eve and continue through Sunday. Every town and village sets up a maypole, or Majstang, which is decorated with flowers, leaves, and flags. The province of Dalarna, where some of Sweden's oldest wooden cottages have been preserved, is a popular place to spend the Midsommar festival weekend. The Swedes call Midsommar "the day that never ends," because the sun doesn't begin to set until 10:00 p.m. and it rises again at 2:00 a.m. In areas that lie above the Arctic Circle, the sun shines 24 hours a day for six weeks. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: plasticaglet - The plastic or metal covering on the end of a shoelace (formerly called the point) that makes it easier to thread through the eyelet holes. More... plastic - From Greek plastos, "to form, mold." More... plastic surgery - Dates to 1837; "plastic" is used in the sense of "molding, shaping." More... velo binding - A type of document fastener using a narrow strip of plastic on the front and back and attached with thin plastic pegs through the pages; also called velobind. More... | |
| In the News | |
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Is Chameleon Spit Sticky Enough to Ensnare Its Huge Meals?Chameleons have powerful, speedy tongues. If one of these colorful lizards decides it wants a snack, the unsuspecting prey is in the animal's mouth within seconds. The chameleon simply fires its long, elastic tongue out of its mouth at high speed and whips it ... More... | |