Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, August 20, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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specie
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Noun PhrasesNoun phrases are groups of two or more words within a sentence that function grammatically as nouns. Although noun phrases primarily have a noun as the base word that is being modified, what else can they have as their structural base? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Chanakya, the Indian MachiavelliChanakya, also known as Kautilya, was a Hindu statesman and philosopher who wrote a classic treatise on politics, Arthashastra, or The Science of Material Gain. Often compared to Machiavelli, Chanakya wrote the book as a guide for the Maurya emperor, Chandragupta. An astute advisor, Chanakya is considered one of the architects of the Mauryan Empire, which began in the 4th century BCE. According to legend, Chanakya accidentally killed the emperor's wife, but then saved his son—how? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Cease-Fire Declared in Iran-Iraq War (1988)On September 22, 1980, Iraqi forces invaded Iran, which was still struggling in the aftermath of its revolution. The resulting war—ostensibly a territorial dispute—turned into a bloody stalemate that saw the first widespread use of chemical warfare since World War I. An estimated 1.5 million people were killed in the conflict. After nearly eight years, the United Nations mandated a cease-fire. Both sides held thousands of prisoners of war for years. When were the last prisoners exchanged? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Benjamin Harrison (1833)The grandson of a US president, Harrison practiced law in Indiana before leading a volunteer regiment in the Civil War. He made two unsuccessful bids for the Indiana governorship before gaining a seat in the US Senate. In the 1888 presidential election, he defeated incumbent US President Grover Cleveland, though Cleveland won the popular vote. His association with unpopular tariffs cost him an 1892 re-election and brought Cleveland back. Why did his children refuse to attend his second wedding? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is kindness that makes one strong and brave; and so we are kind to our prisoners.L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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hit (something) out of the (ball)park— To do or perform something extraordinarily well; to produce or earn an exceptional achievement. An allusion to hitting a home run in baseball that lands outside the stadium. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Hortobágy Bridge Fair and International Equestrian Festival (2020)This annual event is a showcase of Hungary's fine horses and riders on the Hortobágy and a celebration of the famous nine-arched bridge, built in 1833, that crosses the Hortobágy River and is the longest stone bridge in the country. The equestrian fair is held outside the historic city of Debrecen and features the famed Lipizzaner horses in dressage exhibitions, the csikós (Hungarian cowboy) in colorful embroidered riding costume, carriage parades, pulling contests for draft horses, and other equestrian events. There are also crafts fairs and a peasant market. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: treasurehamper - A food basket for a picnic, it is a phonetic reduction of the word hanaper, "plate basket," or "repository for treasure." More... garrison - At first, it meant "store, treasure." More... treasure - Based on Greek thesauros. More... treasure trove - From French, literally meaning "found treasure." More... | |