Daily Content Archive
(as of Friday, February 19, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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billet
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Neuter Personal PronounsPersonal pronouns are only inflected for gender when they are in the third person and singular. However, the third-person singular can also be "neuter." What does that mean? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 EarwormsKnown scientifically as "involuntary musical imagery," an earworm is a fragment of music that compulsively replays in one's head. The phenomenon, which is distinct from auditory hallucination and is believed to affect nearly everyone to some degree, has been studied by psychologists and neurologists alike. Some notable science fiction stories have concerned fictional songs so catchy that they get stuck in everyone's head, destroying civilization. Do earworms last longer for men or women? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Thomas Edison Patents the Phonograph (1878)Though his formal schooling was limited to just three months of instruction before he was ten years old, Edison was one of the most prolific inventors of his time. His work in improving telegraph technology—particularly his discovery of a method for recording telegraph messages—led Edison to suspect he could do similar things with sound. Within months, the first working model of his phonograph was ready. Why, according to Edison, was he "taken aback" when his invention worked on the first try? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Amy Tan (1952)Born in Oakland, California, to Chinese immigrants, Tan is an award-winning author whose novels focus on the lives of Asian-Americans and the complexities of intergenerational relationships, particularly those of mothers and daughters. Her best-selling novel The Joy Luck Club was based on the tragic experiences of her mother, who had years earlier fled an abusive marriage, though it meant leaving her three daughters behind in Shanghai. When did Tan finally meet her half-sisters? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Where peaceAnd rest can never dwell, hope never comes That comes to all. John Milton (1608-1674) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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make heavy going of (something)— To make something harder or more laborious to do, especially more than is usual or necessary. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin (2025)On February 19, 1942, Japanese bomber and fighter planes conducted a devastating air raid on the town of Darwin, the capital city of Australia's Northern Territory. As a tribute to honor the dead and those who defended Darwin, an annual commemoration is held in Bicentennial Park by the Cenotaph, a monument to those slain in World War I. At 9:58, the exact time the attack began, a World War II air raid siren sounds. During some observances, Australian regiments will reenact the attack: ground units fire their guns, and fighter planes perform fly-bys over the memorial site. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: incapableimpassible, impassable - Impassible is incapable of feeling or suffering; impassable is not capable of being passed. More... impregnable - Means "incapable of being taken by force" (from French prendre, "seize"). More... indefatigable - Means "incapable of being wearied." More... inimitable - Means "unique; incapable of being imitated." More... | |