Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, March 19, 2020)Word of the Day | |||||||
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self-reproach
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Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Adverbs of Degree with Gradable vs. Non-Gradable AdjectivesGradable adjectives are those that can have measurable levels of degree or intensity. Non-gradable adjectives, on the other hand, describe an extreme or absolute state. How are they paired with gradable and non-gradable adverbs? More... |
Article of the Day | |
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Evolution of the Peppered MothThis moth has been the focus of scientific study for centuries, largely because its color changes illustrate one of the best-known models of natural selection. The moth survives by blending in with birch bark to escape the notice of hungry birds. When the Industrial Revolution blackened the trees with soot, dark moths surged in population as birds ate all the suddenly visible light ones. As air quality improved, trees lightened and light-colored moths resurged. What is this phenomenon called? More... |
This Day in History | |
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Tuskegee Airmen Activated for Service (1941)The Tuskegee Airmen, trained at Alabama's Tuskegee Army Air Field during WWII, made up the US military's first African-American flying unit. In 1941, congressional legislation forced the Army Air Corps to create an all-black combat unit, and though the War Department aimed to block its formation by instituting a number of restrictive guidelines for applicants, many qualified for service. In all, these airmen flew 1,578 missions, destroyed 261 enemy aircraft, and were awarded how many medals? More... |
Today's Birthday | |
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Sir Richard Frances Burton (1821)Burton lived a life of adventure and scandal as an explorer, translator, fencer, ethnologist, poet, and spy. He spoke at least 25 languages and put these skills to use translating works like the Arabian Nights and Kama Sutra into English. His linguistic skills also helped him pass himself off as a Muslim so that he could visit the forbidden holy cities of Mecca and Medina. After he died, his wife burned 40 years' worth of his diaries. What caused the distinctive scars on his face? More... |
Quotation of the Day | |
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Misery is manifold...as the rainbow; its hues are as various as the hues of that arch. Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) |
Idiom of the Day | |
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curb appeal— The external attractiveness of a building or property, such as can be viewed from the street (i.e., the curb). More... |
Today's Holiday | |
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Return of the Swallows of San Juan Capistrano (2023)San Juan Capistrano was the name of a mission built on the Pacific Coast by Father Junípero Serra in 1777. Even after the buildings collapsed in an earthquake 35 years later, thousands of swallows continued to nest in the ruins of the church. Local people noticed that the swallows tended to fly south on October 23, the death anniversary of St. John of Capistrano, and returned on March 19, St. Joseph's Day. A Swallow Festival is held each year at the mission in San Juan Capistrano near Los Angeles, California, around the time of the birds' return. More... |
Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: remembermoment - To have a moment is to suddenly forget where you are and what's going on; it is also called a bristlecone or a senior moment. More... absence of mind - The failure to remember what one is doing. More... brain cloud - The temporary inability to think properly, or to remember something. More... souvenir - Literally French for "remember," from Latin subvenire, "occur to the mind." More... |