Daily Content Archive
(as of Monday, July 8, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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fishgig
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Plural Possession with ApostrophesIf there is more than one person, place, or thing that possesses something else, then the rules for showing possession change slightly. Because an "-s" is usually added to a word to make it plural, the "-s" that follows the apostrophe is dropped. What marks possession in this case? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Arecibo MessageThe Arecibo message was a message broadcast into space in 1974 to celebrate the remodeling of Puerto Rico’s Arecibo radio telescope, the world's largest single-dish radio telescope. The message was aimed at star cluster M13, a large and relatively close star cluster some 25,000 light years away. The 210-byte message consisted of 1679 binary digits that, when arranged into 73 rows and 23 columns, form a meaningful seven-part message saying what? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Vasco da Gama Sets Sail on First Direct European Voyage to India (1497)In 1497, da Gama began his epochal voyage to India, becoming the first European to journey there directly by sea. With four vessels, he rounded the Cape of Good Hope, passed the easternmost point reached by Bartolomeu Dias in 1488, continued up the coast of Africa to Malindi, and sailed across the Indian Ocean to Calicut. His voyage opened up a way for Europe to reach the Indies and marked the beginning of the Portuguese Empire. For what brutal methods was da Gama known during his travels? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 John Davison Rockefeller (1839)After two years of high school, Rockefeller—the man destined to become, by some estimates, the richest person in history—got a job as a bookkeeper. A few years later, he formed a food handling firm that prospered in the American Civil War. In 1863, he entered the brand new oil business, and within 15 years, his company dominated the American petroleum industry. A noted philanthropist, he donated $550 million during his lifetime. It has been said that Rockefeller had what two ambitions in life? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it.Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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on the hush-hush— In a state of secrecy or minimal public knowledge; being known only by a select few people. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Caribbean Festival (Feast of Fire) (2022)The annual Caribbean Festival in Santiago de Cuba, also known as the Feast of Fire, is dedicated to preserving and promoting the cultural traditions of the Caribbean. In addition to numerous performances of music and dancing, there are exhibitions of culinary arts, painting, crafts, drama, religious rituals, and poetry. Each year the festival gives special focus to one of the Caribbean countries. The "Serpent Parade" is a high point of the Festival, with throngs of dancing people winding their way through the streets of Santiago de Cuba. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: inkatrament - A synonym for ink. More... calamari - The term for Deep-fried squid comes from Latin calamarius, meaning "pen case"—because of its long tapering shell and its ink; it is also spelled calamary. More... ink - First spelled inke and enke—from Greek enkauston, the purple ink used by Roman emperors. More... | |