Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, March 11, 2015)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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atrophy
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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AppositivesAn appositive is a noun that serves to describe or rename another noun (or pronoun) that appears directly before it in a sentence. When an appositive is made up of a noun phrase, what is it called? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Cotton CandyThis kid-pleasing treat is often sold at fairs, circus shows, and other jovial events. It is usually tinted pink, though purple and blue are also popular colors. It is made by machines with a central bowl where sugar is melted and spun out through a myriad of tiny holes where it solidifies and is caught by a ring. The operator then catches the candy on a stick, forming a confection that is often larger than the human head. In what country is cotton candy known as "fairy floss"? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Mikhail Gorbachev Becomes Leader of the Soviet Union (1985)In 1985, after the death of the third Soviet leader in two years, Mikhail Gorbachev came to power, ushering in an era of political reform with his policies of glasnost and perestroika. He cultivated warmer relations with the US and others and even supported the democratically elected governments that replaced the communist regimes of eastern Europe. In 1991, he resigned the presidency of the USSR, which ceased to exist the same day. How did his own policies lead to the end of his administration? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Joseph Carl Robnett Licklider (1915)In the 1950s, Licklider—who had studied math and physics and had a doctorate in psychology—began studying information technology. He was appointed head of information processing at ARPA, the US Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency, in the early 60s. There, he laid the groundwork for computer networking and ARPANET, the precursor of the Internet. He is considered one of the most important figures in computing history and is often compared to what historical trailblazer? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 My only objection to the custom of giving books as Christmas presents is perhaps the selfish one that it encourages and keeps in the game a number of writers who would be far better employed if they abandoned the pen and took to work.P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have enough on (one's) plate— To be sufficiently busy or preoccupied with work, problems, or difficulties as to be unable or unwilling to cope with anything more. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Lithuania Restoration of Statehood Day (2020)Lithuania had been independent for only 12 years when the Soviets occupied the country in 1940. The people voted for self-rule in February 1990, and the new democratically elected parliament declared independence from the U.S.S.R. on March 11, 1990. Restoration of Statehood Day is an official holiday in Lithuania. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pushingcentrifugal, centripetal - Centrifugal force pulls away or pushes outward; centripetal draws toward or pulls inward. More... cow tipping - A widely frowned-upon activity whereby one knocks over a sleeping cow (which sleeps standing up) by pushing on its side. More... exert - Can refer to a seed's pushing out or up. More... crowd - Its underlying notion is of "pushing, pressing," from Old English crudan, "press." More... | |