Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, October 31, 2021)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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malady
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining PrepositionsPrepositions are used to express the relationship of a noun or pronoun (or another grammatical element functioning as a noun) to the rest of the sentence. What is the object of the preposition? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Flehmen ResponseIn human courtship, a grimace is not generally something one wants to see from a potential love interest. Not so with animals. Cats, horses, llamas, and giraffes are just some of the animals that exhibit the flehmen response, a grimace-like curling of the upper lip and extension of the neck that facilitates the detection of scents—and pheromones—through the vomeronasal organ located in the roof of the mouth. Where does the name "flehmen" come from? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Leiden University Library Opens in the Netherlands (1587)The city of Leiden played a prominent role in the revolt that would create an independent Dutch nation. In 1575—a year after Leiden had survived a siege by the Spanish—Prince William the Silent founded a university in the city. Today, Leiden University is the oldest in the Netherlands. Its library, once housed in a single room, is now home to a monumental collection of books, manuscripts, maps, and letters—some of which are centuries old and very rare. What was the library's first book? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 John Evelyn (1620)From 1631 until his death in 1706, Evelyn kept a diary that is today an invaluable source of information on 17th-century British social, cultural, and political life. He corresponded frequently with Samuel Pepys, another now-famous diarist of the time. Living as a wealthy country gentleman in Deptford, he wrote about 30 books on various subjects including reforestation, vegetarianism, and numismatics. In 1661, he wrote the Fumifugium, believed to be the first book written on what topic? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Better than man doth woman understand children, but man is more childish than woman.Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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take a breather— To take a short pause or hiatus (from something). More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Apple and Candle Night (2025)This is another name for Halloween among children in the Swansea area of Wales. The traditional game of "Apple and Candle" is played by suspending a stick from the ceiling with an apple fastened to one end and a lit candle to the other. The object is to eat the apple without using hands and without getting burned by the swinging candle. To make the game more challenging, players are sometimes blindfolded and the stick is twirled around before the game begins. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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