Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, November 29, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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fire-eater
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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One-Syllable AdverbsOne-syllable adverbs are formed into comparatives by adding the suffix "-er" to the end of the word. What suffix is added to create the superlative form? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Yoruba TwinsWhile the birth rate of monozygotic—identical—twins is relatively constant worldwide, the rate for dizygotic—fraternal—twins varies widely. Fraternal twins are most common among persons of African ancestry, and the highest incidence of fraternal twins is among the Yoruba peoples of Nigeria, with a frequency of more than 40 per 1,000 births. This has made twins an important part of Yoruba culture, in which twins are said to share one soul. What traditions do the Yoruba follow regarding twins? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Warren Commission Is Established (1963)Chaired by US Chief Justice Earl Warren, the Warren Commission was appointed by US President Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the shooting of his assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald. After months of investigation, it reported that Kennedy was killed by Oswald's rifle shots from the Texas School Book Depository and that Oswald's murder by Jack Ruby was not part of a conspiracy to assassinate Kennedy. What later reports questioned its findings? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Mildred Gillars, AKA Axis Sally (1900)Mildred Sisk was born in Portland, Maine, but went to Europe in the 1920s, changed her name, and by 1934 was an English-language radio broadcaster in Berlin. During World War II, she broadcast Nazi propaganda aimed to demoralize American troops, who nicknamed her "Axis Sally." On the radio, Gillars emphasized the infidelity of soldiers' wives and sweethearts while they were overseas. She was convicted of treason in 1949 and spent 12 years in prison. What did she do after she was released? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Capital, n.: The seat of misgovernment.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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have a heavy heart— To have a dejected or miserable attitude or disposition; to be in a depressed or grievous state. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 William Tubman's Birthday (Goodwill Day) (2024)The influence of William V. S. Tubman (1895-1971), Liberia's president for 27 continuous years, was so great that his birthday was established as an official holiday while he still held office. The national legislature declared the holiday in response to a citizens' appeal made in 1952. Decades after his death, Liberians still celebrate the national hero's birthday, also known as Goodwill Day. The most elaborate festivities for Tubman's birthday have always taken place in his native city, Harper, where activities may extend for three days. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: wind instrumentorgan - Comes from Latin organum, from Greek oganon, "implement, instrument, tool"; it was first a very general term, but was then used for "wind instrument" and "functional part of the body." More... poop - Once had the meaning "to make an abrupt sound, as from a wind instrument." More... bell - The flared open end of a wind instrument. More... tootle - To toot continuously, as notes on a wind instrument. More... | |