Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, December 30, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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parlous
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining the Past Perfect TenseThe past perfect tense expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. It can also show that something happened before a specific time in the past. How do we form the past perfect tense? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Fasting GirlsIn the Victorian era, "fasting girls" were young females, usually preadolescent, who were purportedly capable of surviving for long periods without consuming any food. In many accounts, the fasting girls not only refused nourishment but also drew attention to their fasts by claiming to have special religious or magical powers. Their ability to survive was often attributed to saints or thought of as miraculous. What special abilities did Mollie Fancher, the "Brooklyn Enigma," claim to have? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Granada Massacre (1066)When Rabbi Samuel ha-Nagid died around the year 1055, his son Joseph succeeded him as leader of the Jewish community of Granada and vizier to the Berber king. At the time, figures in the Muslim community were unhappy with what they believed to be inordinate Jewish political power. Joseph, who was said to be arrogant and ostentatious, in contrast with his father, was eventually assassinated by a Muslim mob in a siege that also claimed 4,000 Jews of Granada. How was Joseph killed? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Simon Forman (1552)Forman was arguably the most popular occultist, astrologer, and herbalist in Elizabethan London, despite not possessing a medical degree. He kept detailed records of his unorthodox practice, and his diaries have yielded a wealth of historical information—including contemporary accounts of Shakespeare's plays. He was posthumously implicated in a murder plot that tarnished his reputation and has been characterized as either evil or a quack. What 1611 event is he said to have accurately predicted? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 There's no jealousy in the grave.Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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it's all good— A phrase used to express general approval, unconcern, or disinterest. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Sanghamita Day (2020)Observed by Buddhists in Sri Lanka, this day celebrates the arrival of Sanghamita, daughter of Emperor Asoka of India, in 288 BCE. According to legend, Buddhism was first brought to Sri Lanka by a group of missionaries led by Mahinda, Asoka's son. Mahinda later sent for his sister, Sanghamita, who arrived with a branch from the Bodhi tree at Gaya, sacred to Buddhists as the tree under which the Buddha was sitting when he attained Enlightenment. The sapling was planted in the royal city of Anuradhapura, where Sanghamita founded an order of nuns. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: plateassiette - A prepared dish of food, French for "plate, course of a meal." More... dish, plate - Dish is a more general term and plate is more specialized. More... plate - Etymologically, something "flat," from Latin plattus, "flat," and Greek platys, "broad." More... placard - Comes from French plaquier, "to plate; lay flat." More... | |