Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, June 20, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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insouciance
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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DashesThere are two similar but distinct punctuation marks called dashes: the en dash ( – ) and the em dash ( — ). What are en dashes used to indicate? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 EcdysisIn order for certain insects, crustaceans, and reptiles to grow, they must periodically shed, or molt, their outer layer of skin or other covering in a process known as ecdysis. Prior to shedding, a new soft and expandable layer is laid down underneath the existing one. Then the inner layers of the old cuticle are digested by a molting fluid secreted by the epidermal cells, the animal emerges from the old covering, and the new cuticle hardens. How often do insects undergo ecdysis? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Tennis Court Oath (1789)In the first days of the French Revolution, the deputies of the Third Estate were locked out of their usual meeting hall at Versailles. Believing that their newly formed National Assembly was to be disbanded, they met at a nearby tennis court and took an oath not separate until a constitution was established for France. The oath was an assertion that power came from the people not the monarch, and their solidarity forced King Louis XVI to concede. Who was the only deputy not to sign the oath? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Lillian Hellman (1905)After working as a book reviewer, press agent, and play reader, Hellman began writing plays in the 1930s. Her first major success, The Children's Hour, concerned two schoolteachers falsely accused of lesbianism. She examined family infighting in her hit The Little Foxes and political injustice in Watch on the Rhine. All were made into successful films. Hellman was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1952. What happened when she refused to testify? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The bow cannot always stand bent, nor can human frailty subsist without some lawful recreation.Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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make (oneself) useful— To do something that is actively helpful or of assistance to others. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 West Virginia Day (2019)West Virginia Day is a state holiday in West Virginia to celebrate its joining the Union in 1863 as the 35th state. The creation of the state was a result of the Civil War. The settlers of western Virginia defied the state's vote to secede from the Union, and on June 20 West Virginia formally entered the Union as an anti-slave state. The day is marked with ceremonies at the state capitol in Charleston and at the West Virginia Independence Hall in Wheeling. It was there that the conventions were held to declare West Virginia's independence from Virginia. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: shockshock - An encounter between two charging hostile forces. More... enfant terrible - Actually applies to young adults (generally male) who go out of their way to shock or embarrass but at the same time are considered talented. More... perculsive - Describing something that gives you a shock. More... ay, chihuahua - This interjection expresses surprise or shock—even dismay, annoyance, or resignation. More... | |