Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, April 27, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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upstart
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Auxiliary Verbs - WouldThe modal auxiliary verb "would" has a variety of functions and uses, including replacing "will" for things that happened or began in the past, or describing hypothetical situations. What type of mood is used to express hypotheticals and desires? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Bat BombsDuring WWII, a dentist named Lytle Adams proposed a new method of aerial attack to the US military: the bat bomb. The plan called for containers filled with hundreds of bats fitted with small incendiary devices to be dropped over Japanese cities at dawn, a time when the nocturnal creatures would be inclined to find somewhere to roost. Shortly thereafter, the timed devices would detonate, creating widespread fires and chaos. How was his proposal received by government and military officials? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Disgruntled Engineer Jams HBO's Satellite Signal (1986)In the early morning hours of April 27, 1986, a Florida electronics store owner moonlighting as a satellite uplink technician decided to protest what he considered unfair programming subscription rates for satellite dish owners. Overriding the signal of the cable network HBO, he transmitted a message to be seen by anyone watching HBO at the time. "Captain Midnight," as he called himself, was eventually fined $5,000 for the stunt. What did he elect to say in those few minutes of airtime? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Herbert Spencer (1820)Admired by some and loathed by others, Spencer was one of the most discussed Victorian thinkers. An English sociologist and philosopher, he was an advocate of the theory of social Darwinism. In his vast, multi-volume System of Synthetic Philosophy, he held that the physical, organic, and social realms are interconnected and develop according to identical evolutionary principles. To describe his theory of sociocultural evolution, he coined what well-known phrase? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Nothing exists; all is a dream. God—man—the world—the sun, the moon, the wilderness of stars—a dream, all a dream; they have no existence. Nothing exists save empty space—and you!...And you are not you—you have no body, no blood, no bones, you are but a thought.Mark Twain (1835-1910) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a little leery— Cautious, wary, or uncertain of a given person, place, or thing. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 South Africa Freedom Day (2021)On April 27, 1994, the Republic of South Africa held its first democratic elections. The African National Congress (ANC) won the election, bringing with it socio-economic change that improved the lives of all South Africans, especially the poor. Every year, South Africa celebrates Freedom Day, a public holiday that commemorates the anniversary of the historic day in 1994. Special cultural events and exhibitions are held in various venues around Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, and other locations around the country. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: organsconsensus - Came into English in a physiological sense, meaning "a set of organs" or the "involuntary or reflex actions of the nervous system." More... homogenous - Can refer to genetically related tissue or organs. More... lung - Goes back to an Indo-European word for "light," because of the lightness of the organ. More... sensorium - The seat of common sense, the center of the brain to which sense impressions are transmitted by the nerves from the organs. More... | |