Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, April 10, 2023)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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helicon
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining the Active VoiceThe active voice is a type of grammatical voice in which the subject of a sentence is also the agent of the verb—that is, it performs the action expressed by the verb. Why is the active voice typically preferable to the passive voice? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 GinkgoThe ginkgo is a tall and slender picturesque deciduous tree with fan-shaped leaves. A "living fossil," the ginkgo is the only remaining species of a large order of gymnosperms that existed in the Triassic period; its form has not changed in millions of years. A combination of amazing disease resistance, insect-resistant wood, and the ability to form aerial roots and sprouts helps ginkgoes live more than 2,000 years. Where does the name "ginkgo biloba" come from? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 10,500 Besieged Residents Flee Messolonghi (1826)Messolonghi was a major stronghold of Greek insurgents in the Greek War of Independence. Its inhabitants successfully resisted a siege by forces of the Ottoman Empire in 1822 and 1823 and held out heroically against a second siege from 1825 to 1826, when the Ottomans captured the town. Facing starvation after a year of relentless attacks, the people of Messolonghi—approximately 10,500—finally decided to leave the beleaguered city on the night of April 10, 1826. What happened when they left? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Samuel Hahnemann (1755)Hahnemann was a German physician who created the form of alternative medicine known as homeopathy. Unsatisfied with the state of medicine at the time, Hahnemann looked for an alternative. Struck by the similarity of the symptoms quinine produces in healthy individuals to those of the disorder it cures, he theorized that "like cures like" and that drugs which produce the same symptoms as certain diseases should be used in small doses to treat those diseases. Why did he discourage drinking coffee? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 When writing about transcendental issues, be transcendentally clear.Rene Descartes (1596-1650) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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don't get me started— An exclamation of weariness or despair regarding a topic that has just been introduced and about which the speaker feels very strongly and (usually) has a negative opinion of. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Salvation Army Founder's Day (2023)April 10 is the day on which William Booth (1829-1912), founder of the international religious and charitable movement known as The Salvation Army, was born in Nottingham, England. With the help of his wife, Catherine, he established the East London Revival Society, which soon became known as the Christian Mission and later The Salvation Army. Although Booth's birthday is observed to varying degrees at Salvation Army outposts around the world, a major celebration was held on the organization's centennial in 1965. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: wanderingevagation - Means mental wandering or digression, also a digression in speech or writing. More... mundivagant - Means "wandering around the world." More... vagation - The action of wandering, straying, or departing from the proper or regular course. More... wanderjahr - Literally German for "wander year," it refers to a year of wandering or travel. More... | |