Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, November 13, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Prepositions Commonly Used with VerbsCertain verbs require prepositions in order to connect to their sentences' objects. What are some of the prepositions most commonly used with verbs? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 MosquesThe mosque has traditionally been the center of social, political, and educational life in Islamic societies. Although Muhammad's house in Medina served as the prototype for Muslim houses of worship, mosques appear quite different in various parts of the world due to the influence of local architectural styles. Minarets, towers from which the call to prayer is sounded, are common features of mosques, as are courtyards surrounded by arcaded porticoes. What determines the orientation of a mosque? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Nevado del Ruiz Erupts in Colombia (1985)When ash began to fall on the Colombian town of Armero, local authorities assured residents that it was safe to stay put, despite geologists' warnings to the contrary. It had been more than 140 years since the last serious eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz, known to residents as "the Sleeping Lion." That night, a lahar—a massive flow of mud and debris—swept down the side of the erupting volcano, destroying Armero. It was the worst natural disaster in Columbian history. How many people were killed? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Saint Augustine of Hippo (354 CE)Augustine was bishop of Hippo, a Roman city that is now Annaba, Algeria. In his early 30s, he converted to Christianity, gave up his position as professor of rhetoric, became a bishop, and turned his home into a monastery. He served for more than 40 years. While he lay dying, Vandals destroyed his city but spared his library. His writings, which include Confessions and De Civitate Dei, deeply influenced Western Christianity. What now-extinct religion did he originally practice? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 It is essential to the idea of a law, that it be attended with a sanction; or, in other words, a penalty or punishment for disobedience.Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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tear a strip off (someone)— To scold, upbraid, or rebuke someone very severely, as for an error or wrongdoing. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Feast of St. Frances Cabrini (2025)The first American citizen to be proclaimed a saint of the Roman Catholic Church, Francesca Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917) was born in Italy. She founded the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart in 1880 and went on to establish orphanages, schools, and hospitals in many American cities, as well as in Europe and South America. She was canonized on July 7, 1946. Her feast day is commemorated in many places, but particularly at Mother Cabrini High School in New York City, in whose chapel she is buried, and at every establishment of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: unluckydismal - Comes from French dies mali, "evil days," and first meant the 24 evil or unlucky days of the medieval calendar (two per month). More... infaust, infausting - Infaust is "unlucky" and infausting is "making unlucky." More... left-handed - Had a meaning of "unlucky" or "unseasonable." More... widdershins - Means "in a direction opposite of the usual one," but can also mean "unlucky." More... | |