Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, March 4, 2016)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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battlement
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Gerunds as Objects of VerbsGerunds very frequently function as the direct objects of "true" verbs. What type of verb is very likely to take a gerund as an object? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The "Rat-Squirrel"When scientists discovered the Laotian rock rat, a large, rat-like creature with a thick, hairy tail, they believed that the animal was so different from known rodents that it warranted classification in a new, distinct family called Laonastidae. Shortly thereafter, another group of experts published their assertion that the animal was actually a member of the ancient fossil family Diatomyidae. Under what urban circumstances did researchers find the first Laotian rock rat specimens? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Charlie Chaplin Is Knighted (1975)Though he spent most of his career in the US, British-born silent-film legend Charlie Chaplin never applied for citizenship. The US took advantage of this fact in 1952, while Chaplin was overseas, revoking his re-entry permit over his alleged Communist ties. His political leanings, as well as his many affairs with young women, nearly cost him a knighthood, but after decades of debate, he was finally knighted by Queen Elizabeth II. What was stolen from Chaplin's grave shortly after his death? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Miriam Makeba (1932)Nicknamed "Mama Africa," Makeba was a Grammy Award-winning singer and activist. In 1963, after she testified against apartheid before the UN, South Africa revoked her citizenship and right to return to the country. She settled in the US, where her musical career flourished, then moved to Guinea after being criticized for marrying a Black Panther. She remained in exile for 30 years, finally returning to her homeland in 1990 at the end of apartheid. Why did she spend six months in jail as a baby? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I keep six honest serving-men(They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When And How and Where and Who. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a hard pill to swallow— Something, especially a fact or piece of news, that is unpleasant or difficult but which is unavoidable or must be accepted. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Bahrain Spring of Culture (2020)In recent decades, the government organizations of Bahrain have worked toward making its national arts program as robust as its oil industry. The Spring of Culture Festival, held every March in the capital city of Manama, helps fulfill this cultural mission and promotes tourism to the country. Thanks to its reputation as a meeting place between the East and the West, Spring of Culture is able to attract performers from all over the world. National, regional, and international artists converge on Manama to perform poetry readings, music, theater, and dance. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: sunsetoccultation - One of its meanings is "the disappearance from view of a star or planet in the sun's rays after sunset or before sunrise, when the star or planet is above the horizon." More... acronical - Means happening at sunset or twilight. More... antitwilight - The sky's pink or purple glow after sunset. More... evening - Its Old English base meant "grow towards night," as evening extends from sunset to dark. More... | |