Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, November 25, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Second-Person PronounsWe use the second-person pronouns to indicate those who are being addressed directly by the speaker. Unlike first-person pronouns, there is not a distinction between singular and plural second-person pronouns, except in what form? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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| This Day in History | |
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 Elias Howe Patents a Precursor to the Zipper (1851)Five years after being granted a patent for the first practical sewing machine, Howe patented his design for a zipper-like garment fastener. However, he never put much effort into marketing this invention, perhaps due to the great success of his sewing machine, and today, credit for the zipper's development is largely given to Whitcomb Judson, who demonstrated his innovative slide-fastener design 42 years later at the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893. How did the zipper get its name? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ricardo Montalbán (1920)Montalbán was a Mexican television, stage, and film actor. Perhaps best known as the star of the television series Fantasy Island, he had many notable roles throughout his career, including the villain Khan in the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. His career spanned seven decades, and he continued to perform into his 80s, often providing voices for animated films and commercials. In the 1970s, Montalbán founded the Nosotros organization. What is its mission? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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| Idiom of the Day | |
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let it rest— To cease discussing or dwelling upon a given subject. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Manger Yam (2017)Manger Yam is a harvest celebration of the yam crop observed in Haiti. It is considered taboo to eat any of the new yams before the festival for fear of falling ill or bringing ruin to the yam crop. In Vodoun belief, it is very important for people to maintain relationships with the dead, as well as with each other and the gods, so the deceased are included in the Manger Yam. In the Vodoun service, the priest or priestess leads prayers to the dead and to the gods and offers the first yams to them. After the ceremony, people feast on yam dishes and enjoy music and dancing. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: witchtroll - Originally a witch or sorceress. More... fly-by-night - Said to be an old term of reproach to a woman signifying that she was a witch, and was extended to "anyone who departs hastily from a recent activity," especially while owing money. More... hag - First meant "witch." More... witch - In Old English, it was actually wicca and originally (c. 890) was a man who practiced magic or sorcery, who we now call a wizard; by the year 1000, witch came to be defined as "a female magician or sorceress." More... | |