Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, June 5, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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abaxial
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Identifying Auxiliary VerbsAuxiliary verbs are verbs that add functional meaning to other "main" verbs in a clause. Auxiliary verbs can be identified by two main criteria. What are they? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Technological SingularityThe technological singularity is a theoretical point in the future in which technology advances beyond the human capacity to participate in its development in a meaningful way. Computers will then be responsible for creating new breakthroughs. The term "technological singularity" was first used by computer scientist and sci-fi author Vernor Vinge, who wrote in 1993 that after this superhuman intelligence is created, "the human era" will end. By when does Vinge expect the singularity to occur? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Teton Dam Failure (1976)On June 3, 1976, engineers noticed two small leaks in the earthen Teton Dam, built on Idaho's Teton River. Two days later, the newly created reservoir was filled for the first time, holding a large amount of runoff. Water began seeping out, and the major leak that followed caused the dam—which had been constructed on permeable and fissured rock—to collapse. The reservoir drained in less than six hours, flooding nearby towns and farmland. How many deaths are attributed to the Teton Dam failure? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Ruth Fulton Benedict (1887)Benedict was an American anthropologist whose theories have had a profound influence on cultural anthropology. Her landmark text Patterns of Culture was published in 1934, at a time when her field was dominated by men. In it, she promotes cultural relativism—the assessment of cultural practices within their own cultural context. From a young age, she was fascinated with death and was drawn to studying how other cultures treat death. Whose "cult of grief" did Benedict despise? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 The world owes all its onward impulses to men ill at ease. The happy man inevitably confines himself within ancient limits.Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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be on a rampage— To be causing great destruction, disruption, or chaos; to be behaving very violently or aggressively. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Seychelles Liberation Day (2018)Less than a year after gaining independence, a coup overthrew the government in Seychelles. Two major political parties had developed, the Seychelles Democratic Party (SDP) and the Seychelles People's United Party (SPUP). James Mancham, the leader of the SDP party, which won the majority vote, became president, and France Albert René became prime minister. René's supporters led the overthrow and ousted Mancham on June 5, 1977, an event commemorated as a public holiday on Liberation Day. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: ladybuck party, stag party - A buck party, like a stag party, is one without ladies. More... chatelaine - The lady or mistress of a household. More... lady - From Old English hlaf, "loaf," and a Germanic base meaning "knead," it first literally meant "one who kneads bread." More... | |
| In the News | |
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Astronauts Struggle to Sleep among the StarsAn odd thing happens to astronauts as they zip around the Earth at roughly 17,500 miles per hour: They don't get enough sleep. This may be partly because astronauts don't have to wake up early to see daybreak; they get a sunrise and a sunset every ... More... | |