Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, February 2, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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backer
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Compound PossessionIf two or more nouns (usually people) are shown to have possession of something in a sentence, the placement of the apostrophe changes depending on whether they possess the thing together or separately. This is known as "compound possession." If the people share possession of the same thing, then only one apostrophe is used with the last person listed. If the people possess two separate things, where are apostrophes placed in the sentence? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Wild HuntThe Wild Hunt was a once prevalent folk myth across northern, western, and central Europe involving a phantasmal group of armed huntsmen, horses, and hounds in mad pursuit across the skies or along the ground. The hunters were variously believed to be spirits, deities, or historical or legendary figures. Seeing the Wild Hunt was thought to presage some catastrophe such as war or plague or the death of the one who witnessed it. The Wild Hunt was often used to explain what weather phenomenon? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Sled Dogs Reach Nome, Alaska, with Diphtheria Serum (1925)In 1925, a diphtheria outbreak threatened the city of Nome. The town's supply of antitoxin had run out, and a mail shipment would have taken weeks to arrive. After learning of the crisis, 20 mushers and some 150 sled dogs, including the famous Balto, relayed fresh antitoxin 674 miles (1,085 km) in a record five and a half days, preventing an epidemic. Today, the heroic journey is commemorated by the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. How long did a reenactment of the serum run take in 1975? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 George Halas, "Papa Bear" (1895)Halas was a pioneering football player, coach, and owner of one of the 11 original teams in the American Professional Football Association (APFA), the Decatur Staleys. Founded in 1920, the APFA went on to become the National Football League (NFL) in 1922—the same year Halas moved his team to Chicago and renamed it the Bears. Under his leadership, the Chicago Bears won seven NFL championships. In addition to coaching, Halas also played what position during the 1920s? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Morals are an acquirement, like music, like a foreign language, like piety, poker, paralysis, no man is born with them.Mark Twain (1835-1910) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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the inmates are running the asylum— The people least capable of running a group or organization are now in charge. Said especially when the result is total chaos or calamity. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Edison Festival of Light (2025)The Edison Festival of Light is held annually in Fort Myers, Florida, for more than three weeks, encompassing Thomas Edison's birthday. Highlights of the festival include concerts, the coronation of the King and Queen of Edisonia, a children's parade, fireworks, exhibits of Edison's various inventions, and exhibits of regional inventors. The Grand Parade of Light—a nighttime procession of more than 100 bands, floats, and marching units—is the festival's grand finale. Edison's winter home and his Florida laboratory are open to the public year-round. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: riversMesopotamia - Translates to "area or country between two rivers"—the Tigris and the Euphrates. More... potamology - The science of rivers. More... fluminous, potamic - Two words meaning "pertaining to rivers" are fluminous and potamic. More... watersmeet - A junction of two rivers. More... | |