Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, March 31, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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wraith
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Factitive Verbs vs. Causative VerbsCausative verbs tie a subject to other parts of the sentence that reveal more about the subject. In this way, they serve a similar function to factitive verbs. How do the two types of verbs differ? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Plague RiotIn the spring of 1771, an outbreak of bubonic plague swept through Moscow. Authorities instituted a number of policies in an attempt to contain the epidemic, but the severe measures were unpopular with the general public. Factories and stores were shut down, and the economy was essentially at a standstill. Fearful, and faced with acute food shortages, the people took to the streets in an uprising that would later be known as the Plague Riot. What was done to the bell that mobilized the rioters? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 UNIVAC Computer Delivered to the US Census Bureau (1951)By 1870, the US population was so large that hand-counting the census was no longer feasible. Despite the invention of a counting machine, by the time the 1880 census was tabulated, it was almost 1890. Dealing with so much data remained a problem until the late 1940s, when the Census Bureau commissioned the first civilian computer. In 1951, it was used to count part of the 1950 census and was so successful that the bureau bought another. What presidential election did UNIVAC correctly predict? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jack Johnson (1878)The son of two ex-slaves, Johnson was the world's first African-American heavyweight champion. At the height of his career, Johnson was excoriated by the press for having twice married white women, and he offended white supremacists by defeating former champion James J. Jeffries, the "Great White Hope." In 1912, Johnson was convicted under the Mann Act for transporting his wife-to-be across state lines. Sentenced to a year in prison, he fled the country. What happened when he returned? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence in society.Mark Twain (1835-1910) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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a motor mouth— A person who talks incessantly or irrepressibly. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Malta Freedom Day (2025)In 1814, Malta became a crown colony of the British empire. Although Malta gained independence in 1964, the British armed forces did not completely leave until March 31, 1979. This freed Malta of foreign military occupation for the first time in history. In Malta, Freedom Day is a public holiday that commemorates the day the last of the British military left the Maltese Islands. On this holiday, a ceremony is held at the War Memorial in Floriana. The main events of the day take place around the Freedom Day Monument in Vittoriosa. In the afternoon, a competitive regatta is held in Grand Harbour. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: toesgronk, cheese, toe-jam - The stuff between your toes. More... pantaraxia - Any actions aimed at keeping people on their toes. More... plantar pad, digital pads - The plantar pad is the larger pad of a cat's foot; the digital pads are on the toes. More... | |