Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, May 6, 2019)Word of the Day | |||||||
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witticism
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Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Negative Yes/No QuestionsQuestions that have either "yes" or "no" for an answer are formed using auxiliary verbs at the beginning of the sentence. To make them negative, we add the word "not" after the subject of the sentence. If "not" is contracted with the auxiliary verb, however, then where is the contraction placed? More... |
Article of the Day | |
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AeolipileInvented in the first century by Greek mathematician Hero of Alexandria, the Hero engine, or aeolipile, is a steam-powered device that illustrates the reactive forces of a gas jet. It usually consists of a mounted spherical vessel equipped with angled nozzles that release steam in opposite directions, causing rotational movement. The world's first steam engine, Hero’s aeolipile was a forerunner of the modern jet engine. Its name derives from a term meaning "ball of Aeolus." Who was Aeolus? More... |
This Day in History | |
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Pope John Paul II Visits Mosque (2001)When Pope John Paul II visited Syria's Umayyad Mosque, where the head of John the Baptist—a holy figure in both Christianity and Islam—is said to be interred, he became the first Catholic Pope to enter and pray in an Islamic mosque. The address he delivered there, promoting peace between Muslims and Christians, reflected his ongoing ecumenical efforts, which included meeting with religious leaders from other faiths and denominations. While in Syria, the pope aroused controversy by kissing what? More... |
Today's Birthday | |
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Moshe Feldenkrais (1904)Feldenkrais was a Russian-born Israeli physicist and engineer who was also an avid soccer player and a judo master. Motivated by a debilitating knee injury of his own, Feldenkrais developed a system to improve body movement and function and reduce pain by increasing self-awareness and re-educating the neuromuscular system. Since its introduction in the 1950s, the Feldenkrais method has gradually gained acceptance. Which statesman did Feldenkrais allegedly teach to stand on his head? More... |
Quotation of the Day | |
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Not every child has an equal talent or an equal ability or equal motivation, but they should have the equal right to develop their talent and their ability and their motivation, to make something of themselves. John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) |
Idiom of the Day | |
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from a mile away— Well or far in advance; exceptionally easily. More... |
Today's Holiday | |
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St. George's Day (Bulgaria) (2023)St. George's Day, or Gergiovden, is one of the most important celebrations in Bulgaria. It marks the start of the stock-breeding season. Special foods are served, traditional songs are sung, and both livestock and their pens are decorated with blossoming willow twigs. Traditional rural Bulgarian belief holds that someone who is born on this day is blessed with wisdom and beauty. In some areas, a lamb is slaughtered, and the door sill is smeared with its blood to protect the house from witches, illness, and other forms of bad luck. More... |
Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: similarityeye rhyme - A similarity between words in spelling but not pronunciation—like dove and move. More... icon - Originally a "simile" in rhetoric; its etymological idea is of "similarity," from Greek eikon, "likeness, similarity." More... goose pimples - Named for their similarity to the skin of a plucked goose. More... lens - From Latin for "lentil," because of the similarity in shape. More... |