Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, December 4, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Acronyms and InitialismsAcronyms and initialisms are abbreviations of multiple words using just their initial letters. How are they distinguished from each other? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Frost FlowersFrost flowers form when thin layers of ice are extruded from long-stemmed plants in autumn or early winter and freeze. They appear along cracks in plant stems created when sap is frozen and expands. Water is continually drawn through the cracks due to capillary action and freezes upon contact with air, curling into lovely petal-like shapes. A rare sight, frost flowers are most often observed in shaded areas in the early morning and usually melt when exposed to sunlight. What is a "frost beard"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 First Edition of the Los Angeles Times Is Published (1881)Established in 1881, the Los Angeles Times was purchased and incorporated in 1884 by Harrison Gray Otis. The newspaper prospered and became an influential force in conservative politics in California. Long dominated by the Chandler family, beginning with Otis's son-in-law Harry Chandler, it developed into a model of balanced and comprehensive journalism in the 1960s, with Otis Chandler at the helm, and came to be seen as one of the world's top papers. Why were its offices bombed in 1910? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Samuel Butler (1835)Butler was a British novelist and critic. Descended from clergymen, he grappled for years with Christianity and evolution in his writings, first embracing, then rejecting, Charles Darwin's theories. He is best known for his autobiographical novel The Way of All Flesh. During his lifetime, his reputation rested on the utopian satire Erewhon (1872), which foreshadowed the end of the Victorian illusion of eternal progress. What prediction did Butler make about human evolution? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Life should begin with age and its privileges and accumulations, and end with youth and its capacity to splendidly enjoy such advantages.Mark Twain (1835-1910) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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affable personality— A personality that is friendly, approachable, sociable, amicable, and/or likeable. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Pilgrimage to Adam's Peak (2019)A footprint preserved in stone is a sacred site at the top of a mountain in Dalhousie, Sri Lanka. Depending on one's religious tradition, the footprint belongs to Adam (Muslim), the Buddha, St. Thomas (Christian), or Lord Shiva (Hindu). Pilgrims have made the climb for over 1,000 years to the summit of Adam's Peak. Though the terrain is rugged, many pilgrims make the ascent by the light of lanterns so they can arrive at the break of dawn and catch a spectacular view of the western coastline. According to local tradition, a woman who reaches the top will be reincarnated as a man. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: knightson one's high horse - At one time, knights, kings, and other VIPs rode on chargers, while ladies and others rode on smaller saddle horses, begetting the phrase "on one's high horse." More... full tilt - Meaning "full speed," it is from the encounter at full gallop of knights in a tilt (lance combat). More... | |