Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, August 3, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Prepositional Phrases as AdverbsWhen a prepositional phrase modifies a verb, adjective, or adverb, it is considered to have the function of an adverb within the sentence. What are these phrases called? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 ZoroasterZoroastrianism is a dualistic religion founded by Iranian prophet and religious poet Zoroaster, who lived between 628 and 551 BCE. At the age of 30, Zoroaster had his first vision and began teaching that Ahura Mazda was the highest god and alone was worthy of worship—a concept that rejected the polytheism practiced in Iran at the time. His attempts to proselytize initially failed, but after he converted King Vishtaspa, the religion rapidly spread. What are the main tenets of Zoroastrianism? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Operation Sunshine: First Crossing of a Submerged Vessel at North Pole (1958)The USS Nautilus was the world's first operational nuclear-powered submarine. In 1958, the Nautilus embarked on Operation Sunshine, during which it completed the first submerged journey across the North Pole, resurfacing northeast of Greenland 96 hours later. During the mission, deep ice in the area of the Chukchi Sea forced the Nautilus to turn back temporarily. In the event that the submarine became trapped in ice, what dramatic action did its commander plan to take? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Regina Jonas (1902)After being denied ordination at least once, German Jewess Regina Jonas finally found a rabbi willing to defy convention and make her, in 1935, the first ordained woman rabbi. A victim of the Holocaust, Jonas's story went forgotten for many years, only coming to light when some of her writings, including a document titled "Lectures of the One and Only Woman Rabbi, Regina Jonas," were rediscovered long after her death at the hands of the Nazis. Where was she when she delivered these lectures? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Trust thyself: every heart vibrates to that iron string.Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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(one's) blood runs cold— One becomes seized by an acute and intense sensation of fear, panic, horror, or dread. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Festival Interceltique (2018)Created in 1971, the Festival Interceltique (Interceltic Festival) brings together traditional and contemporary expressions of Celtic culture and arts. Approximately 4,500 singers, instrumentalists, visual artists, dancers, professors, and filmmakers from the traditionally Celtic lands take part in the event, including Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, Galicia (Spain), Asturias (Spain), and Brittany (France). The festival takes place in Lorient, a town in Brittany, from the first Friday in August and until the second Sunday of August. About 350,000 spectators attend the festival annually. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: reflectionepiphonema - An exclamatory sentence or reflection summing up a discourse. More... rainbow - Comes from Old Norse regnbogi (becoming Old English renboga, ren, "rain," and boga, "bend, bow") and is a bow or arch of the colors of the prism that is formed in the sky opposite to the sun by the reflection, double refraction, and dispersion of the sun's rays in falling drops of rain. More... sheet lightning - Appears as a broad sheetlike illumination of parts of a thundercloud, caused by the reflection of a lightning flash. More... | |
| In the News | |
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Blowing out Birthday Candles Increases Bacteria on Cake by 1400%, Study RevealsNext time you attend a birthday party you might want to reconsider accepting a slice of cake because according to a new study, blowing out candles increases the level of bacteria by a revolting 1,400 per cent. The team from Clemson University in South ... More... | |