Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, March 16, 2023)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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august
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Using Commas with Long NumbersIt is standard practice to add one or more commas to long numbers to make them easier to read. What are commas used in this way technically known as? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Archie ComicsArchie Comics is an American comic-book publisher that started out as MLJ Comics in 1939. Its early titles featured generic superheroes that were innovative but failed to find popularity. In 1941, a teenage humor strip called Archie became a hit with the emerging youth culture, prompting the name change to Archie Comics. The comic varies with regard to character details and settings, but Archie is perpetually mired in a love triangle with Betty and Veronica. What is Archie's full name? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Indictments Made in Iran-Contra Affair (1988)In 1985, members of the US National Security Council (NSC) secretly authorized weapons sales to Iran in an attempt to secure the release of US hostages held in Lebanon by pro-Iranian militias. Part of the $48 million profit was then diverted to Nicaraguan Contra rebels, in violation of a 1984 law banning such assistance. After a Senate investigation, NSC members Oliver North and John M. Poindexter were indicted and convicted of various offenses. Why were their convictions later overturned? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jerry Lewis (1926)Lewis, an entertainer known for his slapstick comedy, became popular in the 1940s through his partnership with Dean Martin. They performed together in nightclubs as well as 17 films before parting ways in 1956. Lewis then went on to direct and star in The Nutty Professor and many other movies. He left filmmaking in the 1970s to focus on supporting and fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA). Who was responsible for reuniting Martin and Lewis during a 1976 MDA telethon? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I wonder if anyone else has an ear so tuned and sharpened as I have, to detect the music, not of the spheres, but of earth, subtleties of major and minor chord that the wind strikes upon the tree branches. Have you ever heard the earth breathe?Kate Chopin (1851-1904) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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can't be bothered— Unwilling or disinclined to make the effort necessary to do or accomplish something. (Used in the present and past tenses almost interchangeably.) More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Urho's Day (2023)St. Urho, whose name in Finnish means "hero," is credited with banishing a plague of grasshoppers that was threatening Finland's grape arbors. His legend in the United States was popularized in the 1950s; after being celebrated as a "joke holiday" for several years in the Menahga-Sebeka area, the idea spread to other states with large Finnish populations. The actual celebrations include wearing St. Urho's official colors—Nile Green and Royal Purple—drinking grape juice, and chanting St. Urho's famous words, "Grasshopper, grasshopper, go away," in Finnish. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: shoespumps - The shoes are so named for the sound they make. More... revamp - Originally referred to shoes—vamp being the covering of the instep. More... Brannock device - The device used to measure feet for shoes. More... be down on your uppers - To be down on your uppers (referring to shoes) is to be scuffing along, in poor circumstances. More... | |