Definition: (noun) A punctuation mark (/) used to separate related items of information.
Synonyms: separatrix, solidus, slash, diagonal, stroke.
Usage: Because the poem was reproduced in block text, virgules were used to indicate where the lines had originally been separated.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
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When unsettled controversies with England in the aftermath of the American Revolution threatened to involve the US in another war, President George Washington named Chief Justice John Jay as an envoy for the negotiation of a treaty. The agreement, concluded in 1794 and known as Jay’s Treaty, averted war between the two nations, solved many outstanding issues, and opened 10 years of largely peaceful trade in the midst of the French Revolutionary Wars. How was the treaty received in the US? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
The American Cancer Society encourages nonsmokers to “adopt” smokers on this day and support them as they go through withdrawal from nicotine—a drug that is said to be as addictive as heroin. Schools are particularly active in observing the Smokeout, teaching young people that the easiest way to avoid the health problems associated with smoking is never to start. Other organizations also sponsor programs and activities designed to increase public awareness of the hazards to which both smokers and those who breathe their smoke are exposed. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
A French diplomat and engineer, Lesseps conceived the idea of the Suez Canal while serving in Egypt. He supervised the construction and achieved world renown for the project. In 1878, he became president of the company formed to construct the Panama Canal, but lack of funds forced the project into bankruptcy amid charges of corruption. He was brought to trial for misappropriation of funds and sentenced to prison but was later cleared. What monument did Lesseps present to the US in 1884? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Evidence of human cannibalism suggests that the practice began thousands of years ago. Cannibalism, eating the flesh of the members of one’s own species, is practiced ritually in some cultures, though in Western society people tend to turn to cannibalism only in situations of extreme starvation or when they are mentally ill. Historically, the Aztec Empire is the most famous example of a cannibalistic society. What country was once known as the “Cannibal Isles”? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Definition: (noun) One who is employed in the loading or unloading of ships.
Synonyms: dock worker, dock-walloper, docker, dockhand, loader, longshoreman, lumper.
Usage: As the stevedore worked, he dreamed of the day he would be able to leave the docks behind and see the world from the deck of a ship.
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Source: The Free Dictionary
In 1928, Walt Disney created cartoon icon Mickey Mouse, who made his debut in the silent film Plane Crazy. That same year, Mickey also appeared in Steamboat Willie, written and directed by Disney and animator Ub Iwerks. An immediate hit, the film was Disney’s first attempt at using sound and the first fully synchronized sound cartoon. Music is prominently featured, and Mickey first appears in the film whistling the song Steamboat Bill. Who provided the voice for Mickey? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Independence Day marks Latvia‘s declaration of independence from German and Russian occupation on November 18, 1918. The country remained independent until World War II, when it was absorbed by the Soviet Union. Like the other Baltic republics, Latvia proclaimed its independence from Soviet Russia in 1991, on August 21. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Originally a scene painter for the opera, Daguerre was a French inventor who devised one of the first practical photographic processes—the daguerreotype. He, in collaboration with Nicéphore Niépce, found that a permanent image could be formed on a silver iodide-coated copper plate if it was exposed to light, then fumed with mercury vapor and fixed by a solution of common salt. His daguerreotype process was announced in 1839 at the Academy of Sciences. Who acquired the patent for the invention? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Camels, ruminant mammals of the family Camelidae, are well adapted to desert life, as they can live for several days without drinking and their broad, flat, two-toed feet do not sink in the sand. There are two species of true camel, the single-humped Arabian camel, a domesticated animal used in Arabia and N Africa, and the two-humped Bactrian camel of central Asia. The humps, fat stores that provide energy and water when metabolized, also aid in desert survival. How fast can a camel run? Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary