Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, July 6, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Past Perfect TenseThe past perfect tense expresses the idea that something occurred before another action in the past. What else can it show? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Prayer RopeSimilar to the Catholic rosary, a prayer rope is a loop of complex knots used by Eastern Orthodox Christians and Eastern Catholics to track the number of times they have recited a certain prayer, generally one known as the Jesus Prayer. In some churches, reciting the Jesus Prayer a specific number of times can, when necessary, replace certain worship services. For example, instead of reading the entire Psalter, a worshipper might recite the short prayer how many thousands of times? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Louis Pasteur Successfully Tests His Rabies Vaccine (1885)Pasteur was a pioneer in the field of germ theory. In 1881, the inventor of pasteurization perfected a way to isolate and weaken germs, and he went on to develop a vaccine against anthrax in sheep. He soon turned his attention to researching rabies. In 1885, he inoculated a 9-year-old boy who had been badly mauled by a rabid dog. The vaccine likely prevented the boy from contracting rabies, which then meant certain death. How did Pasteur's chickens accidentally get vaccinated against cholera? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Merv Griffin (1925)Originally a singer and nightclub performer, Griffin first achieved wider fame in the early 1950s with the hit song I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts. He then shifted his focus to television, hosting The Merv Griffin Show from 1965 to 1986. He created the popular game shows Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! and wrote the latter's famous theme song. Later, he invested in casinos, resorts, and hotels. What humorous epitaph was inscribed on his gravestone? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience then? I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward.Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be left holding the bag— To have responsibility or guilt for something foisted upon oneself; to take the blame for something. Primarily heard in US. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Malawi Republic Day (2020)Also known as National Day, this holiday commemorates Malawi's independence from Britain on this day in 1966. At midnight on July 6, 1966, 40,000 people cheered the changing of the flag at Central Stadium, ushering in Malawi's autonomy. Today ceremonies and prayer services are held at stadiums in Blantyre, Mzuzu, or the capital city of Lilongwe. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: plumdrupe - A fleshy fruit with thin skin and a central stone (e.g. almonds, cherries, plums, olives), it comes from Latin drupa, "overripe olive," from Greek druppa, "olive." More... plum, prune - Plum and prune are ultimately the same word, coming from Greek proumnon. More... plum job - Relates to the 1600s British term "plum" for 1,000 pounds, meaning a serious amount of money. More... plum pudding - So named because it was originally made with plums—the word was retained to denote "raisin," which became the main ingredient. More... | |