Today's Highlights
| Word of the Day | |||||||
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scurvy
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Interrogative Adjectives vs. Interrogative PronounsThe most common mistake regarding interrogative adjectives is confusing them with interrogative pronouns. This is because all three interrogative adjectives ("what," "which," and "whose") can also function as interrogative pronouns. What is an easy way to be sure whether you are dealing with an interrogative adjective or an interrogative pronoun? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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 The Shaanxi Earthquake of 1556The deadliest earthquake on record and the fifth deadliest natural disaster in history, the Shaanxi earthquake of 1556 killed approximately 830,000 people in inner China. The quake destroyed an area spanning 520 miles, and aftershocks continued to rock the region several times a month for half a year. Contributing to the high death toll on the Loess Plateau was the fact that millions of people lived in artificial caves that were destroyed by landslides. What was the earthquake's magnitude? More... | |
| This Day in History | |
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 The Saturday Night Massacre (1973)While investigating the Watergate scandal, special prosecutor Archibald Cox subpoenaed audiotapes of conversations implicating US President Richard Nixon in a cover-up of a burglary of the Democratic headquarters at the Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC. Nixon refused to produce the tapes and ordered the US attorney general and his deputy to fire Cox. On the same Saturday, both men resigned in protest, and public outcry eventually forced Nixon to surrender the tapes. What happened to Cox? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Pauline Bonaparte (1780)A woman of great beauty and considerable scandal, Pauline Bonaparte was Napoleon's favorite sister. She accompanied her first husband on an expedition to subdue Haiti, but he failed and died of yellow fever. Pauline then married a Roman nobleman, but she soon tired of him and returned to Paris, where her scandalous conduct earned her a reputation. Pauline was the only one of Napoleon's siblings to come to his aid when he was exiled to Elba, despite having incurred his disfavor for what? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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 Quotation, n.: the act of repeating erroneously the words of another.Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) | |
| Idiom of the Day | |
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squashed (in) like sardines— Very tightly or snugly packed together, especially in a small space. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 The Birth of the Bab (2025)The Birth of the Bab is a holy day in the Baha'i religion to celebrate the birthday in 1819 of Mirza Ali Mohammad in Shiraz, Persia (now Iran). In 1844, Mirza Ali declared himself the Bab (meaning "gate") and foretold the coming of one greater than he. The day, on which work is suspended, is a happy social occasion for Baha'is. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: shipsnauscopy - The ability to sight land or ships at a distance. More... spring a leak - First referred to ships, describing the way the timbers sprang out of position and let in water. More... square meal - May derive from the square platters used for serving meals on ships. More... longshoremen - When sailors passed goods from the ships to men along the shore, those men came to be called longshoremen. More... | |
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