Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, May 16, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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egoist
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining Demonstrative AdjectivesLike all adjectives, demonstrative adjectives modify nouns or pronouns. Because they are used to determine a specific noun, demonstrative adjectives are sometimes known as what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Last Pharaoh of Ancient EgyptOne of history's great romantic heroines, Cleopatra was the last ruler of Egypt's Ptolemaic dynasty. From 51 BCE, she ruled successively with her two brother-husbands and then her son. The latter, she claimed, was fathered by Julius Caesar, who had become her lover after entering Egypt in 48 BCE in pursuit of Pompey. She was with Caesar in Rome when he was assassinated, after which she returned to Egypt and soon met her last husband, Mark Antony, Caesar's heir apparent. How does their story end? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The First Academy Awards (1929)The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was formed in 1927 by Louis B. Mayer and others to raise the standards of film production, and its first Academy Awards were presented not long after. Hosted by actor Douglas Fairbanks and director William C. DeMille, the first Academy Awards ceremony recognized individuals who had made outstanding film achievements in 1927 and 1928. The gold-plated statuettes given to awardees are popularly known as "Oscars." How did they get this nickname? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Tamara de Lempicka (1898)Tamara de Lempicka was a Polish painter whose bold artistic style epitomized the cool, sensual side of the Art Deco movement. Following her first major show, in Milan, Italy, de Lempicka emerged as the most fashionable portrait painter of her generation among the aristocracy, painting duchesses and grand dukes and socialites. She relocated to the US in 1939 and soon became a favorite artist of Hollywood's stars. What current world-famous pop star is an avid collector of de Lempicka's work? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 When you've learned to laugh at the things that should be laughed at, and not to laugh at those that shouldn't, you've got wisdom and understanding.Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874-1942) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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absolve from guilt— To consider innocent, clear of all suspicion, or pardon from any cause of guilt. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 St. Brendan's Day (2023)St. Brendan, who lived in the 6th century and is one of the most popular Irish saints, is alleged to be the author of Navigatio Brendani (the story of a journey to a land across the ocean). No one, including St. Brendan, knew where he had been when he returned, but a number of legends developed over the centuries. In 1977, an Irishman named Tim Severin built a boat out of leather as described in Navigatio and set out to follow St. Brendan's instructions. He ended up in Newfoundland, giving credence to the theory that St. Brendan reached America 1,000 years before Columbus. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: umbrellaumbrella - Etymologically, it is a "little shadow." More... parapluie - A French word for umbrella, derived from Latin pluvia, "rain." More... bumbershoot - Another word for umbrella, formed by combining an alteration of the word umbrella and an alteration of the word parachute. More... nuclear umbrella - A protective status in which a nuclear state promises to use its arsenal to defend an ally without nuclear capabilities. More... | |