Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, May 31, 2023)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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flattop
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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"Could" and Rhetorical Questions"Could" is sometimes used informally in sarcastic or rhetorical questions that highlight a behavior someone finds irritating, unacceptable, or inappropriate. In these situations, "could" is often (but not always) used with what as a main verb? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Winchester Mystery HouseThe Winchester Mystery House is a famous California mansion that is reputed to be haunted. Sarah Winchester, the widow of a gun magnate, began building the Winchester Mystery House in 1884 after a medium advised her to construct a house to appease the ghosts of all those killed by Winchester rifles. Construction continued for 38 years, since Sarah Winchester believed that if she stopped working on the house, she would die. What significance does the number 13 have in the mansion? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Copyright Act of 1790 Signed into US Law (1790)After the US Constitution was ratified in 1788, one of the first issues that the fledgling government faced was the lack of a copyright law. Without it, Congress would be swamped with individual petitions for protection from piracy. Modeled on Britain's Statute of Anne, the Copyright Act of 1790 was soon signed into law by President Washington. Instituted to encourage learning by securing US authors the sole rights to their work for 14-year periods, it drew what complaint from Charles Dickens? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Lady Margaret Beaufort (1443)Beaufort was an English noblewoman, wife of Edmund Tudor, and the mother of Henry VII, founder of the Tudor Dynasty. She gave birth to Henry at 13, shortly after being widowed, and developed a close bond with her only child. Renowned for her philanthropy, she endowed professorships of divinity at Oxford and Cambridge and with the help of her confessor, John Fisher, founded Christ's College and St. John's College, Cambridge. She later acted as regent for Henry VIII. How many times did she marry? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Her pupils were at once her salvation and her despair. They gave her the means of supporting life, but they made life hardly worth supporting.P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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miss the mark— To be slightly or somewhat mistaken, incorrect, or inaccurate. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival (2025)Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley is widely known for its apple orchards, which begin to flower in late May or early June. The area's Apple Blossom Festival is a five-day celebration whose events are held throughout the 60 towns and villages of the Annapolis Valley. In addition to a children's parade, sporting events, tours to view the apple blossoms, apple pie baking and eating contests, and a cooking competition, the festival includes the crowning of "Queen Annapolisa," who is chosen from among 18 local princesses. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: linensash - From Arabic shash, first a roll of silk, linen, or gauze worn about the head, a turban. More... lingerie - Entered English meaning "linen articles collectively," from French linge, "linen." More... linsey-woolsey - First a cloth woven from linen and wool, the phrase was altered for the sake of a jingling sound. More... taffeta - Goes back to Persian taftah, "silken cloth, linen clothing." More... | |