Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, January 25, 2025)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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stammer
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Present Simple TenseThe present simple tense (also called the simple present tense) is used when we speak about habits, general facts, and timetables. Why is it called the present "simple"? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Fainting GoatsWhen a fainting goat is startled, its external muscles freeze for about 10 seconds, causing it collapse as if in a faint. Older goats generally learn to spread their legs or lean against something when startled and remain standing during these episodes. The condition is caused by a hereditary genetic disorder called myotonia congenita, which disrupts the flow of chloride ions into skeletal muscle cells. What key aspect of human fainting does not happen to these goats? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Grand Rapids, Michigan, Becomes First US City to Fluoridate Its Water (1945)Around 1901, dentist Frederick McKay began to research why many Colorado residents' teeth were stained brown yet were also cavity-free. The culprit, as it turned out, was fluoride. Though it can discolor teeth in large doses, fluoride also prevents decay. Grand Rapids, Michigan, became the first US city to experiment with adding fluoride to its water supply. The rate of cavities plummeted, and fluoridation became a national health policy. What do conspiracy theorists allege about fluoridation? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Anne of Brittany (1477)Upon her father's death in 1488, Anne became the sovereign duchess of Brittany—and her hand in marriage became very valuable. When she was forced to become queen of France by marrying Charles VIII at age 14, her marriage contract stipulated that whichever spouse survived the longest could keep Brittany. Charles died first, but Anne was then forced to marry his successor. Until her death, she fought in vain to preserve Brittany's autonomy within France. Who was technically her first husband? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 No man can ever feel his own identity aright except his eyes be closed; as if darkness were indeed the proper element of our essences, though light be more congenial to our clayey part.Herman Melville (1819-1891) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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without letup— Without slowing down or stopping. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Festival of the Cow (2025)The Fiesta de la Vaca takes place in the village of San Pablo de los Montes, in the Spanish province of Toledo, on St. Paul's Day. While the religious procession and mass for the feast of San Pablo are going on, a group of young men form a counter-procession in the opposite direction. One of them plays the role of the cow, La Vaca, while another is dressed as Mother Sow, Madre Cochina. A third is dressed as a shepherd, and there are others ringing cow bells. Every time the group passes the image of the saint, they call out, "Here goes the cow!" More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: saladcorn salad - A name given to several species of annual herbs sometimes used for salad. More... fruit cocktail, fruit cup, fruit salad - Fruit cocktail (1922) is a mixture of sliced or diced fruits, and it is synonymous with fruit cup (1931); fruit salad (1861) is a salad composed of fruits. More... salad days - Those when one is green in judgment, young and inexperienced. More... salad - A shortened version of Latin herba salata, "salted vegetables," from Latin sal, "salt." More... | |