Daily Content Archive
(as of Wednesday, January 20, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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dustup
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Subjunctive Mood - Expressing WishesOne of the most straightforward ways of using the subjunctive mood is when we want to describe a wish for something to be different than it is or was. How do we generally construct these sentences? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Cat's-Whisker DetectorBefore the advent of vacuum tubes and transistor technology, early radio devices received signals with the help of the cat's whisker detector. An early and somewhat unstable electronic component, the detector was an integral part of the crystal radio sets that came into use in the early 1900s. Though obsolete today, the detectors are still manufactured for antique radio hobbyists. The device consists of a thin wire that lightly touches a crystal of a natural semiconducting mineral such as what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Nazi Officials Decide on "The Final Solution" (1942)In early 1942, Nazi officials held a conference at Lake Wannsee in Berlin to discuss what "final solution" would be used to eliminate the Jewish population of Europe. On paper, the plan called for gathering Jews into camps for deportation to work details in the East. The official record of the meeting does not mention killing but notes that the "evacuation" was to happen as soon as possible. Who later admitted that the actual conversation at the meeting differed significantly from the record? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Allan Haines Lockheed (1889)Though Malcolm and Allan Loughead attended only elementary school, the mechanically gifted brothers built their first airplane in 1913. Malcolm soon left the industry, but Allan persisted. Though several of his aircraft companies failed, his name—with the spelling changed to Lockheed—would eventually be connected to one of the world's largest aerospace manufacturers. Who once turned down a flight in Lockheed's first plane by saying he would not fly in any plane "for all the money in California"? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 I have made a plan for my life, as I am in my teens, and no more a child.Louisa May Alcott (1832-1888) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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with all (one's) might— Utilizing all of one's power and strength to do something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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_1978,_MiNr_2293.jpg) Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde National Heroes' Day (2024)Citizens of Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde have great reverence for Amílcar Cabral (1921–1973), a nationalist leader who was assassinated before he could see his native Guinea-Bissau and nearby Cape Verde achieve independence from Portugal. The two countries settled on January 20 as their National Heroes' Day because it falls on the anniversary of Cabral's murder. A public holiday, National Heroes' Day commemorates the legacies of Cabral and other freedom fighters. Leftist associations have observed the day by holding symposiums on the writings and political theories of Cabral. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: televisionvidiot - An undiscriminating viewer of television or video recordings. More... gaffer - In television and film, the senior electrician. More... sixty-four dollar question, sixty-four thousand dollar question - The sixty-four dollar question on the U.S. radio quiz (1942) became the sixty-four thousand dollar question on television (1955). More... square eyes - Used to describe someone addicted to television. More... | |