Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, May 18, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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molder
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Adverbs and Degrees of StrengthAdverbs of degree can be mild, medium, strong, or absolute in how they describe the intensity, degree, or extent of the word they modify. Adverbs that are mild, medium, or strong are known as what? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Scabies, the "Seven-Year Itch"Scabies is a highly contagious—yet highly treatable—parasitic skin disease caused by tiny mites. Often contracted through contact with mite-infested persons, it is most prevalent in crowded, unhygienic areas and has plagued mankind for centuries. Female mites tunnel into the host's skin to deposit their eggs, triggering a massive allergic reaction that causes intense itching. Scratching the skin causes lesions that may then become infected. Most scabies infestations are caused by how many mites? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Mount Saint Helens Erupts (1980)Beginning in mid-March 1980, a series of earth tremors and steam explosions at Washington's Mount Saint Helens suggested that the volcano—dormant since 1857—was on the verge of erupting. Then, on May 18, the entire north side of the mountain exploded in a cloud of ash, rock, and fiery gases that collapsed a good part of it and carried debris for many miles. About 60 people were killed, and millions of tons of ash blanketed much of the American northwest. How far did the ash eventually spread? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Frank Russell Capra (1897)One of the preeminent Hollywood directors of the 1930s and 40s, Capra produced idealistic populist movies that celebrate the virtues of the common American. At age six, the Sicilian-born future director immigrated with his family to the US. After holding various jobs in the film industry, he emerged as a major director in 1928. Within years, he had won his first Oscar. Which of his films is now considered one of the best American films ever made—despite having initially been a box office flop? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Habit, n.: A shackle for the free.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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on the upswing— Showing or experiencing a noticeable or conspicuous increase, improvement, or expansion. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Toshogu Haru-No-Taisai (2025)This festival provides the most spectacular display of ancient samurai costumes and weaponry in Japan. The Toshogu Shrine, in Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, was built in 1617 to house the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616), the first of the Tokugawa shoguns. On the first day of the festival, dignitaries and members of the Tokugawa family make offerings to the deities of the shrine, and warriors on horseback shoot at targets with bows and arrows. The next morning, more than 1,000 people take part in the procession from Toshogu to Futarasan Shrine, including hundreds of samurai warriors. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: stairwayhalf-pace - A broad step or small landing between two half flights in a staircase. More... companionway - A stairway or ladder from a deck to the cabin below. More... staircase - A stairway does not necessarily have a handrail or balustrade—but a staircase does. More... newel - The main post at the bottom of a banister or stairway. More... | |