Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, January 7, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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corpulence
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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DeclensionDeclension collectively refers to the inflection of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs to reflect certain aspects of how they are used in a sentence. What two things does the declension of nouns reflect? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 BarleyOne of the first crops domesticated by humans, barley also had the distinction of being used to make one of the first alcoholic drinks—beer. With its short growing season, barley is adaptable to a greater range of climates than any other cereal. It thus became a staple cereal of ancient Egypt, featured in ancient Greek rituals, was used as currency, and even had it grains used for measurement in England. Shoe sizes in the US and UK are based on a historic inch equivalent to how many barleycorns? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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.jpg) First Crossing of the English Channel by Air (1785)In the dangerous, early days of balloon flight, French inventor Jean-Pierre Blanchard became the first person to travel across the English Channel by air. Not long after, another pair of balloonists attempted to repeat this feat, but the two were killed when their balloon exploded. Blanchard himself eventually died in a ballooning accident, and his widow suffered a similar fate about a decade later. With what useless objects did Blanchard attempt to steer his balloon during early flights? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Millard Fillmore (1800)Born in a log cabin in rural New York, Fillmore was compelled to work at an early age to help support his large, impoverished family. Despite his limited education, he became a lawyer and was elected vice president under Zachary Taylor. Upon Taylor's death in 1850, Fillmore was sworn in as president. His attempt to take a moderate stance on the highly contentious issue of slavery ended his political career. While being fed soup, a dying Fillmore made what remark that turned out to be his last? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Two friends, two bodies with one soul inspired.Homer (900 BC-800 BC) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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way back when— A relatively long time ago, especially when recalling something that is not the case now. Primarily heard in US. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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.png) Distaff Day (2025)After the 12-day Christmas celebration ended on Epiphany, St. Distaff's Day was traditionally the day on which women resumed their chores, symbolized by the distaff, a tool used in spinning flax or wool. It was also called Rock Day—"rock" being another name for the distaff. The "spear side" and the "distaff side" were legal terms used to distinguish the inheritance of male from that of female children, and the distaff eventually became a synonym for the female sex as a whole. Distaff Day was not really a church festival, but it was widely observed at one time in England. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: prosperityland of milk and honey - In the Bible, a land of prosperity and plenty promised by God to the Israelites. More... pumpkin time - The end of prosperity and a return to normal. More... thrift - First meant "acquired wealth, prosperity, success." More... welfare - Originally the phrase wel fare—first meaning "happiness" or "prosperity." More... | |