Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, February 7, 2023)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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mickle
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Nouns with Inherent Gender IdentityThere is a relatively small amount of nouns in English that are inherently gendered because they describe members of the male or female sex; they do not use suffixes to alter the meaning of an existing word. Most commonly, they are terms describing what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 BioluminescenceFireflies light up due to bioluminescence: the ability of living organisms to convert chemical energy to light energy. Bioluminescence is also exhibited by some fungi, mollusks, and worms, and bioluminescent fish are common in the ocean's depths, likely because the light aids in species recognition in the darkness. Other animals use luminescence in courtship and mating, to divert predators, or to attract prey. Why is most marine bioluminescence in the blue and green part of the spectrum? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Émile Zola Is Put on Trial for Publishing "J'Accuse" (1898)A Jewish officer in the French army, Alfred Dreyfus was falsely convicted of treason in 1894. When officers discovered that the evidence against Dreyfus was false—and that he was most likely a victim of anti-Semitism—they covered it up. Writer Émile Zola exposed the scandal by publishing in a newspaper an open letter titled "J'accuse." Zola was tried and convicted of criminal libel but fled the country, which was divided by the scandal. What happened to Dreyfus and Zola? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder (1867)Wilder was the American author of a classic series of children's books based on her childhood. Born in Wisconsin after the Civil War, she traveled with her pioneer family throughout the Midwest by covered wagon for years before settling in the Dakota Territory. As a farmer and mother she struggled for years. Her first novel, Little House in the Big Woods was not published until 1932, when she was 65. How many of her books, which spawned a popular TV show, were published after her death? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Let my name stand among those who are willing to bear ridicule and reproach for the truth's sake, and so earn some right to rejoice when the victory is won.Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be made of sterner stuff— To be very strong, determined, or of uncompromising character, especially in comparison to others. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Grenada Independence Day (2025)This is a national holiday commemorating Grenada's independence from Britain on this day in 1974. Britain had held the island since the 18th century, when France ceded it under the Treaty of Paris. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: powderelixir - Derives from Arabic al-'iksir, "the powder for drying wounds." More... kohl - A powder used to darken the eyes, it is from ancient Arabic and Egyptian times. More... loaded for bear - Dating from the mid-1800s, it alludes to the heavy charge of powder or lead that hunters use for large animals, such as bears. More... take a powder - Comes from "take a runout powder," with powder meaning "impetus, rush; impetuosity." More... | |