Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, January 8, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Superlative AdverbsSuperlative adverbs, like superlative adjectives, are used to describe differences among three or more people or things. What ending is added to the base adverb to form a superlative adverb? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Tunneling ShieldsTunneling shields are used in the excavation of tunnels through soft ground, especially under rivers or in water-bearing strata, to prevent the tunnels from collapsing before they are reinforced with concrete, cast iron, or steel support structures. The Thames Tunnel project in 1825 was the first in which a tunneling shield was used. Designed by Sir Marc Brunel, the device was considered unsuccessful and was not employed again until 1870, after what crucial improvement was made? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Crazy Horse's Last Stand: The Battle of Wolf Mountain (1877)At the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876, American Indian forces led by Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull soundly defeated US Lt. Col. George Custer in what would come to be known as "Custer's Last Stand." Six months later, Crazy Horse made a final stand of his own. At Wolf Mountain in Montana, he and his men engaged US Cavalry forces in harsh winter weather, despite being outnumbered, weak, and starving. Though he had been prepared to negotiate peace, something changed his mind—what? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Carl Ransom Rogers (1902)An influential American psychologist, Rogers is best known for having developed the technique of nondirective therapy, in which therapists refrain from offering advice or interpretation so as to allow clients to talk freely. By the 1960s, his method had been widely adopted, and Rogers became one of the best-known professionals in his field. His books include 1961's On Becoming a Person. According to Rogers, what are the characteristics of a fully functioning person living "the good life"? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Two cheers for Democracy: one because it admits variety and two because it permits criticism.E. M. Forster (1879-1970) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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weak in the knees— Unsteady or flustered due to a strong emotional reaction to someone or something. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Gynaecocratia (2025)The Greek title of this observance is a word that means female rule or government. This attempt at feminist revolt is of long tradition in northern Greece, where it is common for women to do all the household work and for most men to take life easy in cafes. Today, in the villages of Komotini, Xanthi, Kilkis, and Serres, that standard is reversed for a day when Gynaecocratia is celebrated. The women gather in village cafes to socialize, while the men stay at home cleaning house, tending the babies, and generally looking after household tasks. At dusk, the men join their wives in celebrations. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: sendinggranulated sugar - So called because the last step in processing white table sugar is sending it through a granulator, where it is dried and formed into tiny grains. More... mission - First denoted sending the Holy Spirit into the world, from Latin mittere, "send." More... perennial - First meant "remaining leafy throughout the year"; plants living three or more years—dying aboveground and sending up fresh growth every year—are perennials. More... radio - An abbreviation of radiotelegraphy, the sending of messages by electromagnetic rays. More... | |