Daily Content Archive
(as of Tuesday, September 24, 2019)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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illogic
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Ungradable AdverbsNot all adverbs are gradable in nature. For example, "absolutely," "completely," "totally," and "utterly" are all ungradable adverbs. These are used to modify ungradable adjectives, and they cannot move up and down on a scale. Do they have a comparative form? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 Asteroid Deflection StrategiesIn 2002, an asteroid 150 to 360 ft (45 to 110 m) in diameter passed within 75,000 mi (121,000 km) of Earth—about a third of the distance to the Moon. Asteroids in similar orbits have struck Earth in the past. For that reason, scientists are currently developing a number of strategies by which near-Earth objects could be vaporized or diverted. These include the use of nuclear weapons and so-called gravitational tractors. When is the next near-Earth object expected to closely approach our planet? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Black Friday (1869)In 1869, American financial speculators Jay Gould and James Fisk attempted to corner the gold market by trying to prevent the sale of government gold, which they hoped to achieve by influencing President Ulysses Grant. The plan backfired when Grant discovered the plot and released $4 million of government gold for sale. On a day that came to be known as Black Friday, the price of gold plummeted, panic ensued, and thousands were ruined—though not Gould or Fisk. How did they gain access to Grant? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896)An American novelist and short-story writer, Fitzgerald was the literary spokesman of the "jazz age" of the 1920s. The characters in his books—which include This Side of Paradise, The Beautiful and the Damned, and his masterpiece, The Great Gatsby—lead madcap, gin-drenched, spiritually bankrupt lives that closely resemble his own. In his later years, Fitzgerald was plagued by financial worries and his wife's insanity. Why might he have lied about having tuberculosis? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Accidents will occur in the best-regulated families.Charles Dickens (1812-1870) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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soaked to the bone— Extremely or completely wet, especially through one's clothing. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Whole Enchilada Fiesta (2024)The Whole Enchilada Fiesta is marked by lots of red chili, lots of corn meal, lots of cheese, and lots of people. This festival in Las Cruces, New Mexico, draws about 100,000 people who scramble to get a taste of the world's biggest enchilada. It's 10 feet long and is made of 750 pounds of stone ground corn for the dough, 75 gallons of red chili sauce, and 175 pounds of cheese. The enchilada is prepared as the climactic Sunday afternoon event. Before this grand moment, there will have been a parade, street dances, arts and crafts exhibits, and a fun run. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: studentgrammatist - A student of grammar. More... oenologist - A "student of wine." More... civilian - First a student or practitioner of civil law. More... | |