Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, January 20, 2025)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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cockeyed
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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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 Jug BandsJug bands are musical groups that use a mix of traditional and improvised instruments—usually ordinary objects modified for making music, such as the jug, washtub bass, washboard, spoons, stovepipe, and kazoo. Early jug bands were typically made up of African-American vaudeville and medicine show musicians. Emerging in the urban South, the bands played a mixture of Memphis blues—before it was formally called the blues—ragtime, and Appalachian music. How does one play the jug? 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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 There is sorrow enough in the natural wayFrom men and women to fill our day; But when we are certain of sorrow in store, Why do we always arrange for more? Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) | |
| 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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 Azerbaijan Day of the Martyrs (2025)On January 20, 1990, Soviet troops entered the Azerbaijan capital city of Baku to quell protests by Azerbaijani nationals, who were agitating for freedom from Soviet rule. Soviet soldiers were responsible for the deaths of 131 people, and the events have come to be known as "Black January." The national holiday on January 20 honors those who died at the hands of the Soviet troops. Flags are flown at half-mast across the country, and the tragedy is commemorated at Martyrs' Lane, where photographs of the victims decorate the tombstones and the president lays a wreath at the Eternal Fire. 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... | |