Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, January 23, 2022)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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vendetta
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Primary Auxiliary VerbsThe "primary" auxiliary verbs are "be," "have," and "do"—they occur most commonly in English. What is the emphatic "do"? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The St. Augustine MonsterWhen a large carcass washed ashore on the coast near St. Augustine, Florida, tales of the "St. Augustine Monster" were born. Two boys on bicycles first spotted the carcass on the evening of November 30, 1896, and reported their discovery to local physician DeWitt Webb. Webb determined that the carcass was at least 18 feet (5 m) long and estimated its weight at nearly 5 tons, if not more. Webb believed it was the remains of a giant octopus, but what has more recent analysis concluded? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Principality of Liechtenstein Is Created (1719)Occupying 62 square miles (160 sq km) between Switzerland and Austria, Liechtenstein was formed when the Austrian family of the same name purchased the lordships of Schellenberg and Vaduz in the Holy Roman Empire. It became fully independent in 1866. Today, the tiny mountainous country has no airport, no military, and very little crime. It is best known for its financial industry but is also a leading producer of sausage casings and false teeth. What is Liechtenstein's population? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Jean-Baptiste "Django" Reinhardt (1910)Reinhardt was a Belgian-born Gypsy jazz guitarist whose blend of swing and traditional Gypsy music, as well as his unconventional technique, made him a legendary figure in jazz. He learned to play guitar while traveling in France as a child and began playing professionally at 12. Severely burned in a caravan fire in 1928, he lost the use of two of his fingers but adapted his style to the disability. What heavy metal guitarist was inspired by Reinhardt to keep playing after his own hand injury? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 If a man means to be hard, let him keep in his saddle and speak from that height, above the level of pleading eyes, and with the command of a distant horizon.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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within arm's reach— Close enough to touch, either literally or hypothetically. Easily attainable. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (2025)In 1908, Reverend Paul Watson proposed a week-long observance dedicated to Christian unity to be scheduled between the feasts of St. Peter's Chair (January 18) and St. Paul (January 25), the two great leaders of the first Christians. The World Council of Churches maintains these dates. Each year, an inter-denominational committee selects a scriptural theme and prepares the outlines of a worship service for each day of the Week of Prayer. Individual congregations are free to use the material as is, or vary it to suit local practices and traditions. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: horrorhorrible, horror, horrid - Horrible, horror, and horrid are from Latin horrere, "stand on end" (hair) or "tremble, shudder," and the original sense of horrid was "bristly, shaggy, rough." More... horrific, horrendous, horrible, horrid - In decreasing degree of horror: horrific, horrendous, horrible, horrid. More... pant - The shock that makes you "gasp" is behind the word pant, from Latin phantasiare, "gasp in horror." More... terror, horror - Terror is stronger than horror, though it usually lasts for a shorter time. More... | |