Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, September 27, 2018)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Modal Verbs that Indicate PossibilityBecause modal auxiliary verbs can be quite similar in how they are used, it is sometimes unclear when it's more appropriate to use one instead of another. For instance, we use "may," and "might" to express a possibility. Which of these verbs tends to express less certainty or a lower likelihood? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Nebra Sky DiskNow a beautiful blue-green hue due to millennia of corrosion, the Nebra sky disk is a bronze artifact inlaid with gold symbols that likely represent the Sun or full moon, a lunar crescent, and stars, including a cluster interpreted as the Pleiades. Allegedly found near Nebra, Germany, by illegal treasure hunters, the disk was acquired by archeologists through a police sting operation and dated to around 1600 BCE. Now widely considered authentic, the disk was first suspected to be a forgery. Why? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 Germany, Italy, and Japan Sign Tripartite Pact (1940)The World War II alliance of Germany, Italy, and Japan was fully realized in September 1940, with the signing of the Tripartite Pact. The agreement called for the Axis Powers to come to each other's aid if attacked by a nation not already involved in the European War or the Sino-Japanese Conflict and to assist one another in their efforts to "establish and maintain a new order of things"—Germany and Italy in Europe and Japan in Greater East Asia. How did the treaty get the nickname "Roberto"? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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.jpg) Cosimo de' Medici (1389)The son of a Florentine banker, Cosimo de' Medici was an able financier who vastly expanded the family's banking business. In 1433, he was banished from the city by a rival family but returned a year later. With the support of the people, he became the first of the Medici family to rule Florence. He sought a balance of power among the Italian states and made his power as little felt as possible. He was also a noted patron of scholarship and the arts. What celebrated sculptor did he support? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Nuptial love maketh mankind; friendly love perfecteth it; but wanton love corrupteth, and embaseth it.Francis Bacon (1561-1626) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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spoiled for choice— Having an abundance of suitable or ideal options from which to choose, such that it may be difficult to make a decision. Primarily heard in US. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Feast Day of the French Community (2022)Each of the autonomous regions of Belgium observes its own feast day. Feast Day of the French Community (La fête de la Communauté française de Belgique) is a celebration of linguistic heritage and national independence. It largely takes place in the Walloon cities of Namur, Liege, Huy, and Charleroi, and is a public assertion of the linguistic and ethnic rights of French speakers. All schools and administrative buildings are closed for the feast day. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: stalkstipe - A stalk or stem of a seaweed, fungus, or fern frond. More... cranberry - First crane berry, so named because the plant grows on a stalk that looks like a crane's neck. More... spire - In Old English, it meant "stalk" or "stem." More... stalk - In a car, the flexible arm holding the mounting by which a seatbelt is secured. More... | |