Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, February 16, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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manger
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Light VerbsLight verbs (also known as delexical verbs, thin verbs, semantically weak verbs, or empty verbs) are verbs that do not carry unique meaning on their own. What are common examples of light verbs? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Ghost RocketsBetween May and December 1946, a number of mysterious rocket-shaped objects, termed "Ghost Rockets," were spotted in several European countries. These reports are considered by many ufologists to be the first widespread post-World War II sightings of unidentified flying objects, or UFOs. Though many of the objects were attributed to meteors, especially those seen during the annual Perseid meteor shower, most were not. What led investigators to conclude that the objects were not merely meteors? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Altmark Incident (1940)While passing through neutral Norwegian waters during WWII, the German supply vessel Altmark was boarded by Norwegian inspectors. They were told the craft was merely a commercial ship, but it was in fact being used to transport 299 British prisoners of war. The captives tried to make their presence known by banging on the hull, but winches were run to drown them out. The Royal Navy, however, pursued the ship and mounted a rescue. What now-famous phrase alerted the men to their liberation? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Vera Menchik (1906)A Russian-born British international chess master, Menchik won seven consecutive Women's World Chess Championships, beginning with the first one ever held and ending in 1939, when World War II halted the tournament. She and her family were killed in an air raid on London in 1944. When Menchik entered a men's tournament in 1929, Viennese master Albert Becker ridiculed her by saying that anyone who lost to her should become a part of the "Vera Menchik Club." Who was the first of its many members? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The inward pleasure of imparting pleasure—that is the choicest of all.Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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low man on the ladder— The person (not necessarily male) with the least amount of experience, authority, and/or influence in a social or corporate hierarchy. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Tet (Vietnamese New Year) (2018)The Vietnamese New Year, Tet, is an abbreviation for Tet Nguyen Dan, meaning "first day." This is the most important festival of the year, signifying both the beginning of the year and of spring. At the start of the festival, the Spirit of the Hearth goes to the abode of the Emperor of Jade to report on family members. At midnight the New Year and the return of the Spirit of the Hearth are welcomed with firecrackers, gongs, and drums. A favorite food of the festival is banh chung, made from sticky rice, yellow beans, pig fat, and spices wrapped in leaves. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: reflectedultrasound, ultrasonography - Ultrasounds and ultrasonography work on the principle that sound is reflected at different speeds by tissues or substances of different densities. More... | |
| In the News | |
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Disease 'Superspreaders' Accounted for Nearly Two-Thirds of Ebola Cases, Study FindsThey are called superspreaders, the minority of people who are responsible for infecting many others during epidemics of infectious diseases. Perhaps the most famous superspreader was Typhoid Mary, presumed to have infected 51 people, three of whom ... More... | |