Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, October 24, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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abstruse
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Ending a Sentence with a PrepositionNearly every grammar guide agrees that it is acceptable and often more correct to end a sentence with a dangling preposition than to rewrite the sentence specifically to avoid it. Why? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The July 20 PlotEven before the start of World War II, some Nazi officials sought to remove Adolf Hitler from power. As the war dragged on, Nazi leaders desiring to assassinate Hitler and seek more favorable peace terms from the Allies hatched the so-called July 20 Plot. On that day in 1944, German colonel Claus von Stauffenberg planted a bomb in a briefcase at a meeting with Hitler, but the Führer escaped with minor injuries. How many people were arrested and executed in the Gestapo's subsequent investigation? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Annie Edson Taylor, 63, Goes Over Niagara Falls in a Barrel (1901)Taylor was a dance instructor who sought fame and fortune by attempting to become the first person to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Days before her attempt, a cat was sent over the falls to test the strength of Taylor's barrel and survived the plunge uninjured. On her 63rd birthday, Taylor was set adrift in her barrel and went over the falls. Shortly thereafter, the barrel was pulled from the water and Taylor emerged—mostly unharmed. Did she gain the fortune she sought? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Sarah Josepha Buell Hale (1788)Hale was an American writer and editor who turned to writing in 1822 as a widow trying to support her family. She edited Ladies' Magazine, the first successful US women's magazine, and then Godey's Lady's Book, with which it merged. As the first female magazine editor, she shaped many of the attitudes and ideas of women of the period. Hale is also credited with helping to make Thanksgiving a national holiday in the US. What popular nursery rhyme did she write? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 If you don't get what you want, it's a sign either that you did not seriously want it, or that you tried to bargain over the price.Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have (something) down cold— To learn, master, or understand something perfectly, to the point of requiring little or no focus to do, recall, or accomplish it. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Disarmament Week (2019)The United Nations' Disarmament Week, observed between October 24 and October 30, was established in 1978. It begins on October 24, the anniversary of the founding of the United Nations, now observed as United Nations Day. Observance revolves around raising public awareness of the dangers of the arms race and the need for international disarmament. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: whiskeyardent spirits - Strong alcoholic liquors made by distillation, as brandy, whiskey, or gin. More... bourbon - Named for Bourbon County, Kentucky, an American whiskey made from at least 51 percent corn, plus other grains (all bourbons are whiskey, but not all whiskeys are bourbon); whiskey is an alcoholic liquor distilled from grain, such as corn, rye, or barley, and contains approximately 40 to 50 percent ethyl alcohol by volume. More... scat - Slang for whiskey. More... brand name - The term originated with whiskey, as the producers branded their names on the barrels. More... | |