Daily Content Archive
(as of Sunday, March 1, 2020)| Word of the Day | |||||||
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breakup
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Forming the Past Perfect TenseThe past perfect tense expresses the idea that something occurred before another action. Because we use the past perfect to highlight two separate points in the past, what do we often use to specify the order in which they occurred in time? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Year of the ElephantIn Islamic tradition, the Year of the Elephant is the year Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, was born. Its name is derived from an event that is said to have occurred that year in Mecca, Muhammad's birthplace. Abraha, the Christian ruler of a neighboring principality, marched upon the Kaaba—what would become the most sacred site in Islam—with a large army. At the border of Mecca, Abraha's elephant is said to have sat down and refused to go any farther. Why did Abraha want to attack the Kaaba? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Wellington Avalanche (1910)During a multi-day blizzard in February 1910, a passenger train and a mail train got stuck in Wellington, Washington, high in the Cascade Mountains. Once the snow finally let up, it changed to rain—with tragic consequences. Early on March 1, an avalanche threw the two trains off the tracks and into a valley below, killing 96 people. It was not the only deadly avalanche in the area that year—one struck British Columbia three days later. How did the disaster change railroading in the Cascades? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Marcus Valerius Martialis, AKA Martial (c. 38 CE)Born in what is now Spain, Martial went as a young man to Rome, where he associated with prominent figures and won fame for his wit and poetry. He is renowned for his 12 books of epigrams—short, pithy sayings, often with a satiric or paradoxical twist. Pointed and often obscene, the poems provide a picture of Roman society during the early empire that is remarkable for its accurate portrayal of human foibles. In one verse, he accuses a man of burning down his own house for what reason? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Consequences are unpitying. Our deeds carry their terrible consequences, quite apart from any fluctuations that went before—consequences that are hardly ever confined to ourselves.George Eliot (1819-1880) | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Martenitza (Baba Marta) (2024)Every year on March 1, people in Bulgaria present each other with martenitzas—two joined tassels of red-and-white woolen thread symbolizing health and happiness. In some regions, women dress completely in red on this day. In northeastern Bulgaria, the lady of the house traditionally tosses a red cloth over a fruit tree, or spreads a red woolen cloth on the fields for fertility. In stock-breeding areas, a red-and-white thread is tied to the cattle. Bulgaria is the only country where this particular fertility custom seems to have survived. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: startsptarmic - Describing a substance that starts a sneezing bout. More... early adopter - A person who starts using a technology or product as soon as it becomes available. More... prolepsis - Anticipation before something starts is prolepsis. More... start from scratch - Comes from giving handicaps to some competitors in racing; a contestant who starts from scratch (a line scratched in the turf or gravel) is the one who has no special advantage. More... | |