Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, March 27, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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taproom
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Questions Beginning with "wh-" WordsWe often encounter dangling prepositions when a "wh-" word (such as "who" or "what") is used to begin a question. Why? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Lost-Wax CastingThe lost-wax method of casting metal sculptures was developed thousands of years ago and is still used by metalworkers today. In this labor-intensive process, a clay or plaster model is coated with wax and then covered with a perforated plaster or clay mold. When the cast dries, the wax is melted and drained and replaced with molten metal. Archeological evidence suggests that metalworkers in India and Mesopotamia were using this method as early as 3500 BCE to make what sorts of objects? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Charles I Becomes King (1625)Charles I was King of England, Scotland and Ireland from March 27, 1625, until his execution in 1649. An advocate of the divine right of kings, Charles drew ire during his reign by engaging in a power struggle with Parliament, marrying a Catholic, and allying himself with controversial religious figures. His last years were marked by civil war, and he was defeated twice before being captured, tried, convicted, and executed for high treason. What happened after the monarchy was abolished? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ludwig Mies van der Rohe (1886)A pioneer of modern architecture and one of its most influential figures, German-American architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe was famous for his use of the minimalist architectural dictum "less is more." As a young architect in Berlin, he foreshadowed modern architecture with innovative designs for tubular-steel furniture and steel-and-glass skyscrapers, and countless modernist steel-and-glass structures have been influenced by his work. Mies was also known for using what other famous aphorism? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Whipping and abuse are like laudanum; you have to double the dose as the sensibilities decline.Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811-1896) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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dead last— In last place, especially by a wide margin, as for a race or other competition. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Myanmar Armed Forces Day (2023)Throughout most of the 1800s, the Union of Myanmar, known as Burma until 1989, was ruled by the British. Aung San, an outspoken student leader, helped the Japanese oust the British, and the Japanese ruled Burma from 1942 until 1945. On March 27, 1945, he helped the World War II Allied forces remove the Japanese from power. Myanmar celebrates Armed Forces Day on March 27 to commemorate the day that Aung San rebelled against the Japanese. The day is celebrated with a military parade and fireworks. Since 1989, the Tatmadaw has made it a tradition to pardon several prisoners on this day. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: soldierbombardier - First denoted a soldier in charge of a bombard, an early form of cannon. More... functional shift - The process by which words change parts of speech without the addition of a prefix or suffix, as in soldier on, the verb, being created from soldier, the noun. More... guerrilla, gorilla - Guerrilla is from a Spanish diminutive of guerra, "war," and refers to a soldier of an independent armed resistance force; gorilla is the ape. More... | |