Daily Content Archive
(as of Thursday, March 30, 2017)| Word of the Day | |||
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| Daily Grammar Lesson | |
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Defining DeclensionDeclension collectively refers to the inflection (change in form) of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs to reflect certain aspects of how they are used in a sentence. How does declension differ from conjugation? More... | |
| Article of the Day | |
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| This Day in History | |
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 Hymen Lipman Patents Pencil with Attached Eraser (1858)In prehistoric times, lumps of colored earth or chalk were used as markers. The so-called lead pencil—a rod of graphite encased in wood—first came into use in the 16th century. However, it was not until the 19th century that the eraser was added—an innovation that earned Hymen Lipman a patent in 1858. In 1862, he sold his patent to Joseph Reckendorfer for $100,000. Why did the US Supreme Court rule in 1875 that Reckendorfer's patent was invalid? More... | |
| Today's Birthday | |
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 Eric Patrick Clapton (1945)Considered to be one of the greatest guitar players of all time, Clapton took up the instrument as a teen and went on to play in a succession of critically acclaimed blues and rock bands, such as the Yardbirds, the Bluesbreakers, and Cream. He is the recipient of 17 Grammy awards and is a three-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In the early 70s, he spent several years in seclusion battling a heroin addiction. What famous rock guitarist helped launch Clapton's comeback? More... | |
| Quotation of the Day | |
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| Idiom of the Day | |
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a mother hen— A person who looks out for the welfare of others, especially to a fussy, intrusive, or overprotective degree. More... | |
| Today's Holiday | |
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 Doctors' Day (2019)Since 1933 this day has been set aside to honor America's physicians. It is the anniversary of the day in 1842 on which Dr. Crawford W. Long removed a tumor from the neck of a man while the patient was anesthetized by ether. Dr. Long was the first acclaimed American physician to use ether as an anesthetic agent in a surgical procedure. The red carnation is the official flower associated with Doctors' Day. The American Medical Association promotes various activities to mark this day, including walk-a-thons and blood drives. More... | |
| Word Trivia | |
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Today's topic: solidcholesterol - Comes from Greek words meaning "bile, gall" and "stiff, solid," plus the ending "-ol." More... hydrogenated oil - An oil with trans-fatty acids that has been chemically changed from a room-temperature liquid state into a solid. More... sublimate - In chemistry, to change from a solid to a gas or from a gas to a solid without becoming a liquid. More... solder, solid - To solder something is etymologically to make it solid; solid comes from Latin solidus, "solid, whole." More... | |