Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, August 13, 2023)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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ridgepole
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Absolute PhrasesAn absolute phrase (also known as an absolute construction) is a grammatically independent group of words that serves to modify an entire sentence. Because an absolute phrase is not an integral part of the sentence, how is it always set apart? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 ApartheidApartheid was a system of racial segregation enforced in South Africa for almost 50 years that was legally abolished in the early 1990s. Apartheid served not only to separate whites from non-whites, but also non-white groups from one another. The 1959 Sharpeville Massacre, in which police officers opened fire on unarmed protesters, killing 69 and injuring 186, was a major turning point in public opinion of South African apartheid. What does the word apartheid mean in Afrikaans? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Michael Servetus Arrested as a Heretic (1553)Servetus, a Spanish physician who was the first to accurately describe cardiopulmonary circulation, is perhaps best remembered for his theological writings, which ultimately led to his execution. His religious views, particularly his denial of the Trinity, alienated Roman Catholics and Protestants alike and led to his arrest and imprisonment in 1553. He escaped but was soon rearrested, convicted of heresy, and burned at the stake. What modern Christian sects consider him a spiritual ancestor? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Annie Oakley (1860)Oakley took up hunting at age nine and soon earned a reputation as a "dead shot." In her early 20s, she beat marksman Frank Butler in a shooting match and then married him. Together they joined Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Oakley's famous act included hitting the thin edge of a playing card from 30 paces and shooting targets while looking into a mirror. She was also known for shooting the end off a cigarette held between Butler's lips, a trick she once performed with what future head of state? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Have a heart that never hardens, and a temper that never tires, and a touch that never hurts.Charles Dickens (1812-1870) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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hand-to-mouth— Having, providing, or characterized by the bare minimum of money, food, or resources to survive, with little or nothing else to spare. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Nemoralia (2023)The Nemoralia was an ancient Roman festival in honor of the goddess Diana held at Nemi, in the territory of Aricia about 16 miles southeast of Rome. Diana was worshipped throughout Rome and Latium (now western Italy) on August 13, the day on which her temple on the Aventine Hill had been dedicated by Servius Tullius. But her most famous cult was in Aricia, where the Nemoralia was observed to protect the vines and the fruit trees. It is still common in some parts of the Orthodox Christian Church for worshippers to make offerings of new wheat and cakes to the Theotokos on that day. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: toesgronk, cheese, toe-jam - The stuff between your toes. More... pantaraxia - Any actions aimed at keeping people on their toes. More... plantar pad, digital pads - The plantar pad is the larger pad of a cat's foot; the digital pads are on the toes. More... | |