Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, July 4, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Passive Perfect Participle PhrasesIf we want to describe a noun that was passively acted upon in an event that happened before another one, we can use what is known as the "passive perfect participle" (sometimes called the "perfect passive participle"). How is this structured? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 JanissariesTaking their name from the Turkish yeniçeri—meaning "new troop"—Janissaries were elite members of the Ottoman Empire's army from the late 14th to the early 19th century. Originally formed using of prisoners of war, the corps later "recruited" members through a "blood tax" known as devsirme, which required Balkan vassals to hand over Christian youths to be converted to Islam and placed in the service of the sultan. What early firearms were commonly used by the Janissaries? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 American Colonies Declare Independence (1776)On June 11, 1776, one year into the American Revolution, Thomas Jefferson and other delegates of the Continental Congress began drafting a formal declaration of their intent to form a new nation. Their final draft of the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Congress on July 4, a date that would become a national holiday. Most of the congressional delegates signed it that August. Why did John Adams predict that July 2nd—not the 4th—would be considered the greatest day in US history? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Calvin Coolidge (1872)In 1920, Coolidge was elected vice president of the US under Warren G. Harding, who died in 1923—making Coolidge president. Untouched by the scandals of the Harding administration, Coolidge was directly elected president in 1924. He was a popular and deliberately hands-off leader, and though he was an effective public speaker, he was a man of few words when out of the spotlight. Upon hearing that "Silent Cal" had died in 1933, writer Dorothy Parker is said to have delivered what famous remark? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 All idealization makes life poorer. To beautify it is to take away its character of complexity—it is to destroy it.Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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on the down low— In a state of secrecy or minimal public knowledge; being known only by a select few people. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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Calvin Coolidge Birthday Celebration (2025)The village of Plymouth Notch, Vermont, is where Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), 30th president of the United States, spent his boyhood and was sworn in as president by his father following the death of Warren Harding in 1923. On the Fourth of July each year, the anniversary of Coolidge's birth, there is a noontime march from the green near the Plymouth Post Office to the Notch Cemetery, led by a Vermont National Guard colorguard with a bugler and a chaplain. The White House sends a wreath, which is laid at the President's tomb. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: successmarplot - A person who spoils a plot or who ruins the success of an undertaking or process. More... acid test - A test that is conclusive of the value or success of something, derived from the original use of nitric acid as a test for gold. More... core asset, core competency - A core asset is something essential to success, and a core competency is a distinguishing advantage. More... exploit - Originally meant "progress, success," and "speed." More... | |