Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, March 23, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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thaumaturge
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Alternative QuestionsAlternative questions are questions that provide a choice among two or more answers. These choices might be explicitly stated in the question (identified by the coordinating conjunction "or"), or they might be implied by the context. What are alternative questions also known as? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Witch BallsA witch ball is a hollow sphere of plain or stained glass that was originally hung in windows to ward off evil spirits, witch's spells, or ill fortune. According to folk tales, the bright colors of witch balls, traditionally green or blue, would entice evil spirits, and strands inside the ball would capture them and prevent them from escaping. The colorful spheres eventually became popular simply as decorative objects. What modern decorations may have been inspired by witch balls? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 NASA Launches Gemini 3 (1965)Gemini 3 was the first manned launch of the Gemini program, whose objective was to develop techniques for orbital rendezvous and docking—procedures later used in the Apollo moon-landing missions. Gemini 3's primary goal was to test the new, maneuverable Gemini spacecraft. In space, the crew fired thrusters to change the shape of their orbit, shift their orbital plane slightly, and drop to a lower altitude. What dangerous contraband did one astronaut sneak on board the spacecraft? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Schuyler Colfax (1823)Colfax was the 17th vice president of the US, serving under Ulysses S. Grant. A prominent newspaperman, he helped organize Indiana's Republican party and was elected to the House of Representatives in the 1850s. He retained his congressional seat until 1869, when he moved on to the office of vice president. With a combined age of 91, Grant and Colfax were the youngest team to enter the White House until Bill Clinton and Al Gore over a century later. What scandal ended Colfax's political career? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Wine is a turncoat; first a friend and then an enemy.Henry Fielding (1707-1754) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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scream (one's) head off— To scream or yell very loudly and lengthily. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Pakistan Day (2022)This national holiday is also known as Republic Day, and it is the anniversary of a 1940 resolution calling for a Muslim country for Muslim Indians. On the same day in 1956, Pakistan became an Islamic republic within the British Commonwealth. Pakistan Day is celebrated with parades and fairs. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: vigorvim, vigor - Vim is the same as vigor. More... bouncing - In bouncing baby, it means "vigorous." More... feckful - Means "efficient, vigorous," or "powerful." More... macho, machismo - Macho is from Mexican Spanish, meaning "male animal or plant" or "masculine, vigorous"—from Latin masculus, "male"; machismo (pronounced mah-CHEEZ-mo) is based on macho. More... | |