Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, May 27, 2024)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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inebriant
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Relative Pronouns and Relative ClausesA relative pronoun is a type of pronoun used to connect a relative clause to the main clause in a sentence. What two purposes do relative clauses serve in a sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The 1970 Bhola CycloneWhile the 1970 Bhola cyclone was not the strongest tropical cyclone to hit East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), it was the deadliest, claiming approximately half a million lives. It ranks among the most deadly natural disasters of modern times. The low-lying islands of the Ganges Delta were particularly susceptible to the storm surge's floodwaters, which reached 33 ft (10 m) when the cyclone made landfall. How did this tragic event help to bring about the establishment of Bangladesh? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Christopher Reeve Is Paralyzed (1995)Having starred in four Superman movies beginning in 1978, Reeve was an immensely popular actor by the 1990s. He was also an avid athlete and equestrian. During an event in 1995, his horse spooked before a jump, throwing Reeve. He landed on his head and was paralyzed from the neck down. He briefly considered suicide, but instead spent the rest of his life campaigning for spinal injury research. His friend Robin Williams was the first person to make Reeve laugh after the accident. How? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794)Cornelius was the patriarch of the famous Vanderbilt family. As a youth, he ferried freight and passengers in New York Harbor. As an adult, he gained control of most of the ferry lines around New York City and quickly expanded up and down the coast. He had similar success in the railroad business and died with an estate worth more than $100 million, the largest personal fortune accumulated in the US to that date. Why did Vanderbilt, who had 13 children, leave nearly everything to just one son? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 He was like a cock who thought the sun had risen to hear him crow.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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mind the gap— An audio or visual instruction used in the UK and Ireland to be careful stepping over the space between a train's carriage and the platform when boarding or disembarking. Primarily heard in UK, Ireland. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 National Reconciliation Week (2025)Australia sets aside the week between May 27 and June 3 to honor the culture and history of its Aborigines and Torres Strait Islanders, and to promote reconciliation and forgiveness for the treatment that these indigenous peoples have suffered at the hands of white Australians. Since it was first held in 1996, National Reconciliation Week has featured various activities designed to promote understanding between indigenous and non-indigenous Australians, such as the People's Walk for Reconciliation across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in 2000. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: plumdrupe - A fleshy fruit with thin skin and a central stone (e.g. almonds, cherries, plums, olives), it comes from Latin drupa, "overripe olive," from Greek druppa, "olive." More... plum, prune - Plum and prune are ultimately the same word, coming from Greek proumnon. More... plum job - Relates to the 1600s British term "plum" for 1,000 pounds, meaning a serious amount of money. More... plum pudding - So named because it was originally made with plums—the word was retained to denote "raisin," which became the main ingredient. More... | |