Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, July 6, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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immensity
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Postpositive AdjectivesWhile attributive adjectives are generally found before the noun they modify, especially in simple sentences, there are also many cases in which they are placed immediately after the noun ("postpositively"). Attributive adjectives almost always appear postpositively when they modify what kind of pronoun? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Moon IllusionThe Moon illusion is an optical illusion that causes the Moon to appear larger near the horizon than it does higher up in the sky. It has been pondered since antiquity, and a number of explanations have been proposed. A popular early theory, dating back to at least the 4th century BCE, asserts that the Moon’s appearance is magnified by the atmosphere, but photographs have disproven this idea. Scientists today are still unable to fully explain the illusion. What other theories have been proposed? 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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 Our fear of death is like our fear that summer will be short, but when we have had our swing of pleasure, our fill of fruit, and our swelter of heat, we say we have had our day.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| 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... | |