Daily Content Archive
(as of Saturday, July 5, 2025)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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viviparous
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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"Short" Adjectives and Degrees of ComparisonFor "short" (one-syllable) adjectives, we generally form the comparative degree by adding the suffix "-er" to the end of the adjective. To form the superlative degree, what suffix do we add to the end of the adjective? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The O'Neill CylinderWhile teaching physics at Princeton University in 1969, Gerard K. O'Neill asked his students to design large, theoretical structures suitable for space. Their proposals led him to publish the first concept for what came to be known as the "O'Neill cylinder" in 1974 in Physics Today and to revisit the idea in his book, The High Frontier. O'Neill's design incorporates areas for human habitation, farming, and manufacturing. What feature allows occupants to experience gravity? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Battle of Wagram Begins (1809)The two-day Battle of Wagram signaled the end of the 1809 War of the Fifth Coalition between the kingdoms of Austria and France. Due to the battle's then-unprecedented use of artillery, both sides suffered tens of thousands of casualties. The Austrians were broken by the battle. Napoleon's victory forced Archduke Charles of Austria to accept unfavorable armistice conditions, stripping Austria of land and subjects. The battle might have ended differently if who had shown up in time? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 David Glasgow Farragut (1801)Adopted by a naval officer as a child, Farragut began his naval career as a midshipman at age nine. During the US Civil War, he ran his ships past Confederate forts to capture New Orleans. The victory earned him a prominent place in the Union navy. He was again promoted in 1864, after leading a successful assault on a heavily mined Confederate port. Famously, upon losing a ship during the attack, he allegedly cried out "Damn the torpedoes–full speed ahead!" What naval rank was created for him? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Hobbes clearly proves that every creatureLives in a state of war by nature. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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on the fiddle— Engaged in deceitful, fraudulent, or dishonest means of obtaining money. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Beiteddine Festival (2025)The Beiteddine Festival, held in a magnificent 200-year-old palace in this town in the Chouf region of Lebanon, has presented world-class offerings in the arts since 1985. Organizers defied the struggles of Lebanon's civil war by staging this celebration of human culture. Many performers are Lebanese, but artists from around the world also are invited. The 2001 festival, for example, included a concert by Elton John, a production of Victor Hugo's Notre Dame de Paris, and Turkish folk musician Kudsi Erguner, as well as a performance by the Lebanese singer Fairouz. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: pullingpull out all the stops - Refers to the knobs and levers on a church organ that control the pipes; pulling out all the stops will result in the full range of pitch and maximum volume. More... track - Borrowed from Old French trac, from Middle Dutch trek, "pulling," or trekken, "pull." More... traction, tractor - Traction and tractor trace back to Latin tractus, "drawing, pulling," and trahere, "draw, pull." More... tractive - Refers to power exerted in pulling, especially by a machine. More... | |