Fact of the Day

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - FLYING CREATURES

Colugos are more commonly referred to as flying lemurs,

Did you know.... that self-propelled flight has been observed throughout history thanks to insects, birds, bats, and the extinct Pterosaurs. But there are a number of creatures alive today that do something akin to flying — gliding. Some, like flying squirrels, are familiar, while others, like flying squid, not as much. Here's our list of nine animals that have found unexpected ways to defy the laws of gravity. (Treehugger)

 

Flying Creatures That Aren't Birds

by Interesting Facts

Somewhat deceiving by name, the flying fox is actually a type of fruit bat.

 

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a ... flying tree snake? Yes, that’s correct. From flying fish to flying squirrels, there are plenty of unique aerodynamic animals around the world. Even more impressive, most of them don’t have wings. Using special fins, large toes, or extra membranes, several surprising creatures are able to glide through the air at astonishing lengths.

 

1. Flying Fish

Although the concept of an airborne fish seems counterintuitive, there are at least 40 different flying fish species around the world. They are found throughout the world mainly in open oceans, but some species inhabit regions around coral reefs as well. Primarily found in warmer climates in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, these ray-finned fish thrive in open waters, where they can use their large, rigid fins to “fly” through the air. After propelling themselves out of the water, their fins extend horizontally like wings, allowing them to glide up to 650 feet. Most researchers believe flying fish developed this ability in order to escape underwater predators who did not exhibit the same aerodynamic capabilities.

 

2. Paradise Tree Snake

Found throughout Southeast Asia, the paradise tree snake is a unique reptilian predator. Sometimes referred to as the paradise flying snake, this species of serpent is both slim and agile. A highly capable climber, paradise tree snakes prefer to spend most of their time in coconut palm trees. When the flying snake wants to travel between treetops, it is able to flatten its ribcage until it becomes concave. At this point, the snake can propel itself out a tree and glide through the air, slithering in an S-shape as if on the ground.

 

3. Mobula Ray

Often called flying rays for their ability to leap out of the water, Mobula rays are a species of fish that are closely related to sharks. Shaped like a diamond, Mobula ray fins are useful both in and out of the water. With enough speed, the ray can launch six feet into the air, flapping its fins like wings before flopping back down. Often flying in groups, a school of Mobula rays is a spectacular sight to see. Scientists are unsure why flying rays exhibit this behavior, although it may be a form of communication between members of the species.

 

4. Flying Squirrel

Flying squirrels aren’t able to take flight like a bird, although they may give off this appearance as they soar through the air. The extra flap of skin that connects their front and hind legs serves as a parachute for these quirky land mammals. When a flying squirrel leaps into the air, they use this special membrane to glide from tree to tree, thereby avoiding any predators who may be on the ground. Not only can flying squirrels travel up to 150 feet in the air, but they can also change both their speed and direction in flight by steering with their legs and braking with their tails.

 

5. Crab Spider

If they weren’t already frightening enough, many spiders have the ability to fly. This is thanks to a common arachnid technique called ballooning. Ballooning occurs when a spider releases its silk and rides the wind like a kite. In this way, spiders can travel long distances to join a new colony, find food, or search for prospective mates. Crab spiders, in particular, have been researched for this ability; one study completed at the Technical University of Berlin revealed that crab spiders are “careful, deliberate fliers,” who use their hairs on their legs to test wind conditions before take-off.

 

6. Bats

As the only mammals in the world born with the ability to fly — and the only animal on this list with wings — bats are some of the most intriguing fliers out there. Their ability to use echolocation to find objects in the dark, for example, has been researched for decades. As fliers, bats are maneuverable and nimble. In fact, the flexible skin and extra joints on a bat’s wings make them more efficient in the air than birds.

 

7. Wallace’s Flying Frog

Sometimes referred to as parachute frogs, Wallace’s flying frogs live in tropical rainforests in Malaysia and Borneo. Named after 19th-century naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace, the Wallace flying frog has a distinct appearance — gigantic webbed feet, boggling eyes, and an oversized mouth. When escaping a predator, this flying frog can glide up to 50 feet through the air, using its extra membranes as a parachute. Flying from tree to tree, the frog’s gigantic toe pads provide an adhesive cushioning that allows them to stick the landing with ease.

 

Source: Surprising Animals That Fly  |  Facts About Animals That Fly (That Aren’t Birds!)

Edited February 22, 2022 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - HEISTS

Did you know.... that there is something delicious about a heist, especially a brilliant caper plotted by a 'mastermind' and featuring a crew of shady criminals plotting an impossible break-in.  Authentic 'jobs' can be just as gratifying as their fictional Hollywood counterparts - packed with plot twists, backstabbing and drama. (SpyScape)

 

The Seven Greatest Real-life Heists of All Time

by Hugo McEwen  |  23 MARCH 2017 

From old East End villains coming back together for one last job to Butch Cassidy blowing up a Wild West train, and Colonel Blood robbing the Crown Jewels, we look at the most sensational real-life heists ever. To celebrate the eagerly-awaited release of heist comedy Going in Style, starring Alan Arkin, Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine, here are seven real heists that shook the world.

 

Hatton Garden Jewelry Robbery

In March 2016 seven men with a combined age of 443 years were sentenced at the Old Bailey for breaking into a Hatton Garden security deposit vault in one of the most audacious heists in living memory. Masterminded by Brian Reader, 76, with other career thieves who had previously been implicated in decades of London heists, the robbers used an elevator shaft to get close to the underground strong room, then drilled through half a metre of concrete into the vault. The value of the stolen stones has been estimated at as much as £200 million, and although the “Old Blaggers” were caught and imprisoned, almost none of their haul has ever been recovered.

 

Boston Museum Heist

Apparently responding to a disturbance call, two men disguised as policemen were admitted to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Quickly overcoming the guards, they spent an hour ransacking the museum before making off with 13 works of art with an estimated value of half a billion dollars – the most valuable theft of private property ever. Among the pieces were a Rembrandt, several Degas drawings and one of the 34 known Vermeers in the world. Nobody was ever arrested, and not one of the pieces has ever been recovered. The frames of the stolen artworks still hang empty in the museum.

 

Crown Jewels Robbery

In 1671, Anglo-Irish adventurer Colonel Thomas Blood ingratiated himself with the Master of the Jewel House in the Tower of London, disguised as a parson, with a prostitute posing as his wife. After several visits, Blood convinced the Master to let him and three accomplices into the jewel vault, then clubbed and bound him, sawed the royal sceptre in half and flattened St Edward’s Crown with a mallet, while one of them hid the Royal Orb in his breeches. In a somewhat chaotic escape, the sceptre was dropped, one guard was shot and Colonel Blood was apprehended, the crown falling from his cloak. Brought before Charles II in chains, the King, rather surprisingly, pardoned the old rogue – and even awarded him some land in Ireland.

 

Russian Hackers

Between 2014-2016, a ring of Russian computer hackers stole an estimated £650 million from banks all over the world. Using malware and phishing to hack banks’ systems, they studied the operations and routines of the banks, even watching through webcams and CCTV systems, then transferred money through fake accounts. They even programmed ATMs to dispense cash at specific times. Never taking more than £80 million from a single target, the gang robbed as many as 100 banks in 30 countries and remain at large to this day.

 

The Pink Panthers

Responsible for a string of the most audacious heists ever, the Pink Panthers gang surpassed themselves when four men dressed as women stormed Harry Winston’s exclusive jewelry store in Paris. After herding customers and staff into a corner, they smashed display cases and escaped with an estimated £85 million in diamonds. Four years later, in 2013, a sole robber in a baseball cap, with a scarf over his face, walked into an exhibition of the Leviev diamond house in the Carlton Hotel in Cannes and made off with possibly the greatest single jewelry theft of all time, estimated at £110 million. The Pink Panthers were again suspected as being behind the robbery.

 

Wilcox Train Robbery

 

 

The robbery of the Union Pacific train by Butch Cassidy’s “Hole in the Wall Gang” was probably the most iconic heist of the Old West. Two “signalmen” stopped the train in the middle of Wyoming, the gang then dynamited the railcar holding the strong box, dynamited the tracks to stop any pursuit, then dynamited the strong box itself. The gang escaped on horseback with about $50,000 (£40,000), equivalent to $7 million (£5.6 million) today, using fresh horses along their escape route to outrun any pursuit. Banknotes with the distinctive mark of one burnt-off corner would turn up for years afterwards as far afield as New York and New Mexico.

 

Saddam Hussein

The largest single bank heist of all time was committed the day before the Coalition invaded Iraq in 2003, when Saddam Hussein sent his son, Qusay, to the Central Bank of Iraq with a handwritten note to withdraw all the cash in the bank. Qusay then removed about $1 billion (£810 million) in $100 dollar notes in strongboxes, requiring three lorries to carry it all. Approximately $650 million (£525 million) was found later by US troops hidden in the walls of one of Saddam’s palaces. Although both of Saddam’s sons were killed, and Saddam was captured and executed, more than one third of the money was never recovered.

 

 

Source: Heists and Hustles, The World's Most Audacious Crimes  |  Facts About Real-life Heists

 

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - UNUSAL THINGS SENT TO SPACE

Did you know.... that we have sent a lot of strange things into space, and there is no sign that we will stop putting weird things into space any time soon. From lightsabers to sea urchins, it doesn't seem like there is any limit to what we will send into space. Another thing we have sent into space is bacteria. Scientists were curious about what would happen to bacteria in space, and they found the answer after they sent some salmonella for a journey and then tested it on animals when it came back to earth. They found that the space bacteria had grown much stronger. Because of that, cleanliness in space is of utmost importance. The cost of sending things into space are very high so it must have cost one space tourist a lot of money to get a seat on a rocket headed to the International Space Station. It takes a huge amount of energy to get a rocket free of Earth's gravitational field and for each additional body you have to add a lot of weight in terms of body mass as well as all of the supplies that each person needs to survive.

In the name of science, NASA and various organizations have sent dozens of random things into outer space. Here are some weird ones. (Mark Holmes - Ranker)

 

The Weirdest Things We’ve Sent to Space

by Interesting Facts

In 1783, the Montgolfier brothers — a pair of French aviation pioneers — set up a hot air balloon and placed inside the basket a sheep, duck, and rooster. Surrounded by a roaring crowd, these creatures would become the first passengers of a balloon flight in history. Ever since, humanity has been reaching higher and higher into the sky — and testing what they could up bring with them. Here’s a list of some of the strangest things to make it beyond Earth’s orbit.  

 

1. Ham the Astrochimp

We’ve sent fruit flies, mice, dogs, squirrel monkeys, and rabbits into space. All of these creatures functioned as mere passengers — but not Ham the Chimp. He was trained to interact with the spacecraft, pulling levers in response to light cues. In 1961, he was launched into space, performed his tasks correctly (thus demonstrating that human astronauts would also be able to perform physical tasks in orbit), and survived the trip back to Earth. He lived for another 22 years, enjoying retirement at various zoos.

 

2. Pizza

In 2001, Pizza Hut delivered a few slices of extra-salty salami pizza to the International Space Station. The lucky recipient of the delivery — which reportedly cost $1 million — was Russian cosmonaut Yuri Usachov. It’s unclear if he left a tip.

 

3. A Wad of 100 $2 Bills

The crew of Apollo 15 brought two wads of cash onto the moon with the intention of selling them as souvenirs back on Earth. Unfortunately, they forgot one pack of bills. (Maybe it could be used for that tip?)

 

4. Harmonica and Bells

In December 1965, Gemini astronaut Wally Schirra reported back to Earth: "I see a command module and eight smaller modules in front. The pilot of the command module is wearing a red suit." Schirra then began playing “Jingle Bells” on a harmonica, with his co-pilot playing the bells — the first musical instruments (and prank!) launched into space.

 

5. A Bible

In 1971, astronaut James Irwin left a Bible on the dashboard of the Lunar Roving Vehicle. His time on the moon was, quite literally, a religious experience: One year later, he quit the astronaut corps and founded an evangelical organization.

 

6. Hammocks

Sleeping on the moon was extremely uncomfortable. So starting with Apollo 12, astronauts were given hammocks made of beta cloth (the same woven glass-fiber cloth used in NASA spacesuits). “They also had blankets, insulators, and Velcro attachment pads to help them settle in, not fall, and keep warm,” according to Discover magazine. Much of it was left on the moon.

 

7. Document Proclaiming “University of Michigan Club of the Moon”

Apollo 15 astronauts James Irwin, Alfred Worden, and David Scott all had a connection to the University of Michigan. To celebrate, they left a document proclaiming a “University of Michigan Club of the Moon,” an official branch of the alumni association, on the moon’s surface. As far as we know, it’s still up there.

 

8. Urine Receptacle System and Defecation Collection Devices

NASA maintains a 796-item catalogue of “Manmade Material on the Moon.” The list includes vomit bags and various means of collecting human excreta, which were left on the lunar surface. (Teasel Muir-Harmony, a curator at the National Air and Space Museum, once told Popular Science that “Buzz Aldrin often claims to be the first person to urinate on the moon.”)

 

9. Gene Roddenberry

The creator of the original Star Trek series, Roddenberry was the first person to make space his permanent resting place. In 1992, some of his ashes were launched into orbit aboard the space shuttle Columbia. More of his ashes went to space aboard a private spacecraft in 1997.

 

10. Wrist Mirrors
Apollo astronauts had a tough time leaning over. This made reading the frame counter on their cameras difficult, since it was fixed to the front of the spacesuit. The wrist mirror, however, helped the Apollo 16 and 17 astronauts read how much film they had left. (The mirrors were also useful for shining lights into dark areas.) When they lifted off, they left some of these mirrors on the moon.

 

 

Source: Geekiest Things Sent Into Space  |  Facts About Some of the Weirdest Things Sent to Space

 

 

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - CANNED FOOD

Appert canning jar

Did you know.... that canning is a method of food preservation in which food is processed and sealed in an airtight container (jars like Mason jars, and steel and tin cans). Canning provides a shelf life that typically ranges from one to five years, although under specific circumstances, it can be much longer. A freeze-dried canned product, such as canned dried lentils, could last as long as 30 years in an edible state. (Wikipedia)

 

The Brief History of Canning Food
By Leda Meredith  |  Updated on 10/2/19

Canning is a relatively recent development in the long history of food preservation. Humans have dried, salted and fermented foods since before recorded history. But preserving food by heat-treating and then sealing it in airtight containers didn't come along until the late 18th century.

 

The History of Canning

In 1795, Napoleon Bonaparte offered a reward for whoever could develop a safe, reliable food preservation method for his constantly traveling army. Nicholas Appert took on the challenge, and about 15 years later introduced a method that involved heat-processing food in glass jars reinforced with wire and sealing them with wax. That last technique is similar to the method some people still use sealing jelly jars with paraffin wax - (a technique, FYI, that is no longer considered safe).

 

The First True Canning Method
The next breakthrough was the first true "canning" (as opposed to "bottling" or "jarring") method. By 1810, Englishman Peter Durand had introduced a method for sealing food in "unbreakable" tin cans. The first commercial canning establishment in the U.S. was started in 1912 by Thomas Kensett.

 

It wasn't until almost a century after Nicholas Appert took on Napoleon's food preservation challenge that Louis Pasteur was able to demonstrate how the growth of microorganisms causes food to spoil. Prior to that, people knew that canning methods worked, but not why. Overlapping with those developments, by the time of the U.S. Civil War glass food preservation jars with metal clamps and replaceable rubber rings had been invented. These jars are still available today, although they are more commonly used now for storing dry goods than for canning.

 

In 1858, John Mason invented a glass container with a screw-on thread molded into its top and a lid with a rubber seal. Wire-clamped jars such as Lightning and Atlas jars were in use from the late 19th century until 1964, and still, turn up in yard sales and thrift shops.

 

 

Leaders in the Industry
In the late 1800s, William Charles Ball and his brothers got into the food preservation jar business and began buying up smaller companies. They quickly became leaders in the industry. 

 

Alexander Kerr invented the easy-to-fill wide-mouth canning jar in 1903 (an innovation that the Ball brothers quickly duplicated). Later, in 1915, Kerr developed the idea of a metal lid with a permanently attached gasket that a man named Julius Landsberger had invented. Kerr came up with a metal disk with a similar gasket, held in place by a threaded metal ring. The modern 2-piece canning lid was born.

 

 

Canning technology continues to develop. Brands such as Quattro Stagioni use single piece canning lids that work similarly to the older 2-piece canning lid design.

 

Source: Wikipedia - Canning  |  Facts About Canning
 

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - TETRIS

Did you know.... that tetris is a puzzle video game created by Soviet software engineer Alexey Pajitnov in 1984. It has been published by several companies for multiple platforms, most prominently during a dispute over the appropriation of the rights in the late 1980s.  After a significant period of publication by Nintendo, the rights reverted to Pajitnov in 1996, who co-founded The Tetris Company with Henk Rogers to manage licensing. (Wikipedia)

 

Interesting facts about Tetris

by Admin  |  January 2022

 

• Tetris is a tile-matching puzzle game, developed in the Soviet Union in 1984.
• The extremely popular and addictive game that swept the world in the 1980s and 1990s
• It was created by Russian software engineer Alexey Pajitnov.
• Alexey Pajitnov was a software engineer at the Soviet Academy of Sciences in Moscow, tasked with testing a new type of computer, the Electronika 60. To do so, he wrote a simple game based on a puzzle from his childhood. It would help assess how powerful the computer was – and provide a bit of fun.

 

 

• Little did he know that the resulting game would go on to become one of the greatest, most addictive and most successful of all time.
• Pajitnov claimed he created the name of the game by combining the Greek prefix tetra, which refers to the four squares contained in each block, with the word tennis.
• It has been published by several companies for multiple platforms, most prominently during a dispute over the appropriation of the rights in the late 1980s. After a significant period of publication by Nintendo, the rights reverted to Pajitnov in 1996, who co-founded The Tetris Company with Henk Rogers to manage licensing.
• With over 100 million copies sold, it is the 3rd best-selling video game of all time.

 

 

• Though numerous sequels have been spawned, Tetris games almost always have the same play mechanics: differently shaped blocks drop at varying speeds, and, as the blocks descend, the player must rotate and arrange them to create an uninterrupted horizontal row on the screen. When the player forms one or more solid rows, the completed rows disappear. The goal of the game is to prevent the blocks from stacking up to the top of the screen for as long as possible. Subsequent versions of the game included different modes of play and unique twists, but the overall game play usually mirrored the original Tetris quite closely.
• The earliest versions of Tetris had no music. The NES version includes two original compositions by Hirokazu Tanaka along with an arrangement of “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from the second act of The Nutcracker, composed by Tchaikovsky. The Tengen version also feature original music, and an arrangement of “Kalinka” and “Katyusha”.

 

 

• 1860s Russian folk tune “Korobeiniki” first appeared in Spectrum Holobyte’s Mac and Apple IIgs 1988 versions of Tetris. Nintendo’s Game Boy version also includes “Korobeiniki”, as well as the Johann Sebastian Bach’s French Suite No. 3 In B Minor (BWV 814), and an original track by Tanaka. “Korobeiniki” is used in most versions of the game, and has appeared in other games, albums and films that make reference to Tetris. It was also included in the SNES Tetris game, Tetris & Dr. Mario, Tetris DS and Blue Planet Software The Next Tetris (1999, PSX and Windows). Doctor Spin’s 1992 Eurodance cover (under the name “Tetris”) reached #6 on the UK singles chart. In the 2000s, The Tetris Company added as a prerequisite for the granting of the license that a version of “Korobeiniki” be available in the game.
• The question Would it be possible to play forever? was first considered in a thesis by John Brzustowski in 1992. The conclusion reached was that the game is statistically doomed to end. If a player receives a sufficiently large sequence of alternating S and Z Tetrominoes, the naïve gravity used by the standard game eventually forces the player to leave holes on the board. The holes will necessarily stack to the top and, ultimately, end the game. If the pieces are distributed randomly, this sequence will eventually occur. Thus, if a game with, for example, an ideal, uniform, uncorrelated random number generator is played long enough, any player will top out.

 

 

• Modern versions of Tetris released after 2001 use a bag-style randomizer that guarantees players will never receive more than four S or Z pieces in a row by shuffling tetrominoes of all types for each 7 pieces. This is one of the “Indispensable Rules” enforced by the Tetris Guideline that all officially licensed Tetris games must follow.
• Guinness World Records recognized Tetris as the most ported video game in history, having appeared on over 65 different platforms as of October 2010.
• Fewer than 10 copies of the Sega Megadrive version of Tetris are currently known to exist, making it one of the most sought-after video games of all time. One complete example was recently sold to a private bidder for almost £4,000 ($8,130). The Megadrive version of Tetris is so scarce because the original release was quickly withdrawn after the game became involved in a legal battle in which the rights were eventually awarded to Nintendo.

 

 

• Since the 2000s, internet versions of the game have been developed. However, commercial versions not approved by The Tetris Company tend to be purged due to company policy. The most famous online version, Tetris Friends by Tetris Online, Inc., had attracted over a million registered users.
• Guinness World Records 2009 Gamer’s Edition ranks Tetris #2 on the “Top 50 Console Games of All Time.”
• Apple announced “Tetris: The Movie” will join its growing lineup of premium films from award-winning storytellers. Starring Golden Globe Award-winner Taron Egerton (“Rocketman,” “Kingsman” franchise).
• Tetris for the iPod is launched and instantly becomes Apple’s #1 downloaded game.

 

Source: Wikipedia - Tetris  |  Fun Facts About Tetris

Edited February 26, 2022 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - Force

A few images illustrating forces

Did you know.... that in physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can also be described intuitively as a push or a pull. A force has both magnitude and direction, making it a vector quantity. It is measured in the SI unit of newton (N). Force is represented by the symbol F (formerly P). (Wikipedia)

 

Interesting Facts about Forces
by Ayu  |  February 2, 2017 

Push or pull on an object will be explained on Facts about Forces. We use force to pull or push on something which can make them change their shape or motion, remain in place, accelerate, move, and slow down. Sir Isaac Newton was the first scientist that learned about force and gravity. Three laws that still existed were created by him and called as Newton’s 3 laws of motion. Besides, there are many types of forces, including friction, gravity, electromagnetic, nuclear, tension, elastic, and more. Gravity and magnetic are the two natural forces. Here are ten interesting facts about forces.

 

1: Gravity force
Gravity belongs to natural force. It pulls objects toward the Earth. Besides, the Earth is also kept by gravity. That is why everything on earth will fly into space without gravity.

 

2: Magnetic force
Opposite ends of two magnets will be pulled by magnetic force when they come together. Whereas the matching ends will push away.

 

Magnetic force

 

3: Friction
Have you ever rubbed your hands together? Are your hands warm? Rubbing hands together is one of the example of friction. Our hands become warmer due to friction generates the heat

 

4: An example of push force
Have you ever pushed your friend on a swing? What did you feel? Pushing a friend on a swing is also use force. The swing will move in the direction of the push. Whereas pushing harder will make the swing goes fast.

 

An example of push force

 

5: An example of pull force
An example of pull is when you are pulling the door. It will be opened, if you pull it harder. But, the door will not open if you pull it lightly. That is why pulling something is also use force.

 

6: An example of pressure force
Weight applied force in pressure something. For example when you are walking in snow, the pressure of your weight (feet) will leave footprints on it.

 

An example of pressure force

 

7: Inertia
If pull, push, and pressure belong to force, not for inertia. It is something that has weight or mass and will slow down because the weight. The larger something (elephant) has more inertia than the small one (caterpillar).

 

8: The formula
You can calculate the force using the formula from Newton’s Second Law of Motion. The formula is (f = m * a)

f = force, m = mass, and a = acceleration.

 

 

The formula of force

 

9: Newton
Newton is the unit to measure force, followed by dyne and the pound-force. “N” is abbreviation of Newton.

 

10: Newton’s 3 laws of motion
As we know that Newton’s 3 laws of motion was created by Isaac Newton. It was published on Principia Mathematica Philosophiae Naturalis in 1687. The first law of motion says that a body in motion will stay in motion. Whereas a body at rest will will stay at rest. The second law says that the speed or direction of the body will change if a force acts on that body. Whereas the third law says that there is an equal or opposite reaction for every force and action. It is the best Newton’s laws. 

 

Newton’s 3 laws of motion

 

Forces and Motion
By Satu Fox  |  January 14 2016
 

The science of physics all started with forces. A force isn’t something you can touch—it’s more of an idea. A pretty simple idea, too: A force is just a push or a pull, like a football player kicking a ball. Here are some more cool facts about forces. DK 187527 Forces speed Understanding forces can answer all sorts of questions, like how a skateboarder does cool tricks, how maglev trains float, and when a person can accelerate as fast as a sports car. Read on for more amazing facts about forces and motion.

 

• Forces around us

When you go swimming, you can feel the water pushing back against your arms and legs as you move forward. That’s the invisible force of water resistance at work!

 

• Forces can cancel each out

In a game of tug-of-war, each team tries to yank the opposing team forward by exerting a more powerful pulling force on the rope. If the forces balance, nobody moves. If one force is stronger than the other, though, the rope moves.

 

• Useful forces

A maglev (magnetic levitating) train moves by the force of magnetism. Magnets under the train and on the track push against each other, making the train hover up to nearly ½in (10mm) above the track. The train does not have an engine, but it is pushed forward by another set of magnets and can reach speeds of up to 360mph (580kph).

 

• Forces are fun

When you twist and turn on a skateboard, the force of friction is helping you. Friction slows down movement when two objects rub against each other. The friction between the ground and the wheels on a skateboard lets you do cool tricks!

 

• Force is thrilling

Roller coasters use the force of gravity to make a rip-roaring ride. Gravity pulls all of the objects in the universe together, and it is the reason people and objects don’t float off this planet into space. When the roller coaster cars get to the top, gravity pulls them down the track toward the ground, getting faster and faster.

 

• Forces give us superpowers

You don’t need superpowers to go as fast as a sports car: Just go skydiving! The moment you step out of a plane, gravity pulls you down. In only three seconds, you pass 62mph (100kph). As you speed up, friction with the air (drag) gets stronger and stronger, until the wind roaring past feels like a hurricane. Ten seconds into the jump, the force of drag balances the pull of gravity and you stop accelerating. You’ve reached terminal velocity.

 

 

Source: Wikipedia - Force  |  Facts About Forces  |  Facts About Forces and Motion

Edited March 17, 2022 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - STATUE OF LIBERTY

Did you know.... that the Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor in New York City, in the United States. The copper statue, a gift from the people of France to the people of the United States, was designed by French sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and its metal framework was built by Gustave Eiffel. The statue was dedicated on October 28, 1886. (Wikipedia)

 

Amazing Statue of Liberty Facts
BY STACY CONRADT  |  JUNE 4, 2017

 

Since first arriving to New York as a gift from the people of France, the Statue of Liberty has become one of America's most well-known and iconic symbols. Lady Liberty has undergone some updates and changes over 130-plus years she has presided over New York Harbor, but here are 10 amazing Statue of Liberty facts you may not have known.

 

1. THE STATUE OF LIBERTY'S DEDICATION INSPIRED ANOTHER NEW YORK CITY TRADITION.
The Statue of Liberty’s dedication inspired another uniquely New York institution: the ticker tape parade. New York office workers got the idea to unfurl financial ribbons from windows on October 29, 1886, the day President Grover Cleveland presided over the dedication ceremony.

 

2. A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE HAVE CALLED LIBERTY ISLAND HOME.

Up until Hurricane Sandy hit in 2012, David Luchsinger and his wife were residents of a very, very exclusive neighborhood: Liberty Island. As the superintendent of the Statue of Liberty, Luchsinger is one of a select few people who have ever called the island home. The National Park Ranger selected to be the seer of the statue is provided with free housing—a small brick house, located on the other side of the island. Unfortunately, the cozy little house sustained serious damage during Hurricane Sandy and was not rebuilt, making the Luchsingers Liberty Island's last official residents.

 

3. THE STATUE'S PEDESTAL USED TO HOUSE MILITARY FAMILIES.
The star-shaped Fort Wood, which now serves as part of the statue’s pedestal, was home to military families from 1818 until the mid-1930s. These military families often included young children like Pete Bluhm, who, in 2012, recalled to The New York Times a Fourth of July where G.I.s bounced bottle rockets off of Lady Liberty’s posterior. Another man, James Hill, recalled that he and his younger sister would drop baseballs from Liberty’s crown to see how high they would bounce. Other Liberty Island kids said they climbed to the torch tower and made it rock back and forth.

 

4. VISITORS USED TO BE ABLE TO CLIMB TO THE TOP OF THE TORCH.

Once upon a time, it wasn’t just Island kids who could climb to the tip of the torch. Tourists were able to climb up to the precarious perch until 1916, when those privileges were revoked in response to the Black Tom incident. Around 2 a.m. on July 30, Black Tom—then an island in New York Harbor—was rocked by the explosion of about 2 million tons of war materials such as TNT, black powder, shrapnel, and dynamite. The blast was the equivalent of an earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale; shrapnel flew across the night sky and embedded itself in the Statue of Liberty. Windows shattered as far as 25 miles away. It was later determined that German agents intent on stopping the munitions from getting to their English enemies had ignited the supply. The Statue of Liberty’s torch was closed, partially due to infrastructure damage from the blast and partially just out of concern for terrorism. It’s been closed ever since—but you can still appreciate the view from the top with this TorchCam, installed in 2011.

 

5. THE SPIKES RADIATING FROM HER CROWN AREN'T PART OF THE CROWN.
The seven spikes radiating from the Statue of Liberty's crown aren’t actually part of the crown. They’re meant to be a halo, also known as an aureole, with the spikes representing the world's seven seas and continents. The rays were temporarily removed from her crown in 1938 so their rusted supports could be replaced.

 

6. THE STATUE OF LIBERTY WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE A SISTER STATUE AND LIGHTHOUSE IN EGYPT.

Sculptor Frédéric Bartholdi offered to make Egypt a large piece for the entrance to the Suez Canal called “Egypt Carrying Light to Asia,” which would have featured a veiled Egyptian peasant woman holding a lantern. The Egyptian khedive declined, based on what it would cost.

 

7. WHEN THE STATUE FIRST ARRIVED FROM FRANCE, SHE WAS THE COLOR OF A SHINY NEW PENNY.
It took roughly 20 years for Liberty to patina to the greenish-blue hue she is today.

 

8. THE STATUE IS MODELED ON A REAL PERSON.

Frederic Bartholdi has trumped any Mother’s Day gift you could ever come up with: He used his mother, Charlotte, as the model for the most recognized statue in the world. This was first discovered in 1876, when Bartholdi invited French Senator Jules Bozerian to his box at the opera. When Bozerian pulled back the curtain to step into the box, he was shocked to find a real-life version of the Statue of Liberty sitting there in the box. When he said so to Bartholdi, the sculptor smiled: “But do you know who this lady is? She’s my mother,” he told the senator.

 

9. SHE'S GOT A LOT OF NICKNAMES.
According to The Statue of Liberty Encyclopedia, “Everybody’s Gal” has a lot of nicknames: America’s Freedom, America’s Great Lady, Aunt Liberty, Bartholdi’s Daughter, Giant Goddess, Grande Dame, Green Goddess, The Lady Higher Up, Lady of the Harbor, Lady on a Pedestal, Lady with a Torch, Mother of Exiles, Mother of Freedom, Saint Liberty, and the Spirit of American Independence.

 

10. "THE STATUE OF LIBERTY,” IS, IN FACT, A NICKNAME.

Bartholdi’s name for his gift was “Liberty Enlightening the World.”

 

Source: Wikipedia - Statue of Liberty  |  Statue of Liberty Facts
 

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - MUMMIES

Mummies at the museum in San Miguel de Azapa.

Did you know... that the Chinchorro mummies are mummified remains of individuals from the South American Chinchorro culture, found in what is now northern Chile. They are the oldest examples of artificially mummified human remains, having been buried up to two thousand years before the Egyptian mummies. The earliest mummy that has been found in Egypt dated around 3000 BCE,[1] the oldest anthropogenically modified Chinchorro mummy dates from around 5050 BCE. The oldest naturally mummified corpse recovered from the Atacama Desert is dated around 7020 BCE. Shell midden and bone chemistry suggest that 90% of the people's diet was seafood. Many ancient cultures of fisherfolk existed, tucked away in the arid river valleys of the Andes, but the Chinchorro made themselves unique by their dedicated preservation of the dead. The Chinchorro culture settlements and artificial mummification process in Arica and Parinacota were declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2021.

 

Oldest Mummies in the World

by Lauren Johnson  |  February 22, 2018

Mummies are a staple of modern popular culture and are often featured in fictional works of horror. While there has never been any stories of real mummies reanimating, examination of their bodies does provide significant insight into the past. By studying these mummies, we know what they ate, how they spent the last few days of their life, their medical history, and even their cause of death. Most of the oldest mummies ever discovered were naturally preserved by such factors as arid dessert heat, mud, or layers of thick ice. The oldest intentionally mummified people were found in South America and date back to about 5000 BCE, thousands of years before Egyptians started preserving their dead.

 

10. Ramesses II

Ramesses II, also known as Ramesses the Great, is often considered to be the greatest, most powerful, and most celebrated Pharaoh of the Ancient Egyptian Empire. He was the third Pharaoh of Egypt’s 19th Dynasty and ruled from 1279 – 1213 BCE. Ramesses II was originally buried in a tomb in the Valley of the Kings, but was later transferred (because of looting) by priests to the tomb of Queen Inhapy. His body was moved again three days later to the tomb of high priest Pinudjem II – this story is inscribed on the linen covering his body. During examinations of Ramessess II’s body, researchers discovered that he was originally a red head and that he had arthritis, which caused him to walk with a hunched back toward the end of his life.

 

9. King Tutankhamun

The discovery of King Tutankhamun‘s (commonly called King Tut) tomb is one of the most famous archaeological finds of the modern era. His tomb is one of the most intact ever found and it has produced more than 5,398 artifacts. Since Tutankhamun’s tomb and body were well-preserved, researchers have been able to learn much about royal burials, mummification, and the tombs of Ancient Egypt’s 18th Dynasty. Since not much was initially known about Tutankhamun’s death, there has been several conspiracy theories proposed that have infiltrated popular culture through movies, TV, and fictional books. However, researchers believe that Tutankhamun’s death was unexpected and accidental, which explains why no records exist about his death and why his burial chamber was small for a Pharaoh.

 

8. Egtved Girl

The Egtved Girl is a well-known mummy from Denmark, which was buried in a well-preserved coffin that was uncovered in 1921. Although the tree-trunk coffin was well-preserved, the girl’s bones did not survive and only her clothing, hair, nails, and some teeth were in good condition. Also inside of her coffin were the cremated remains of a child that was about 5 or 6 years old. Historians believe that the young lady was a priestess of a Scandinavian sun cult because of the spiral symbols on her belt. More recent research has revealed that the girl was not originally from Denmark, but was from the Black Forest in Germany. It is believed that she may have married a chieftain in Denmark to form a strategic alliance.

 

7. Amenhotep I

The mummy of Amenhotep I is unique and features one of the most exquisite and well-preserved face masks of any royal Egyptian mummy. Since the face mask is so delicate and beautiful, Amenhotep I is the only royal mummy who has not been unwrapped and studied by modern Egyptologists. Amenhotep I was the second Pharaoh of Egypt’s 18th Dynasty. He ruled from about 1526 BCE until his death in 1506 BCE. Sometime during the 20th (1189 BCE–1077 BCE) or 21st (1069 BCE to 945 BCE) Dynasty, Amenhotep I’s mummy was moved from its original resting place (which is unknown) to the Deir el-Bahri Cache and hidden with other royal mummies from Egypt’s New Kingdom time period.

 

6. Lady Rai

Lady Rai is one of the oldest known mummies uncovered in Egypt. She was discovered in 1881 and researchers estimate that she was about 30 – 40 years old when she died around 1530 BCE. From the writings left behind about Lady Rai, we know that she was the nursemaid to Queen Ahmose-Nefertari, who was the first Queen of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt. The mummified body of Ahmose Inhapy, the aunt of Ahmose-Nefertari was found in Lady Rai’s outer coffin. In 2009, researchers conducted a CAT scan of Lady Rai’s body and discovered that she had atherosclerosis. She is the oldest known mummy with the disease and several other Egyptian mummies also show signs of atherosclerosis.

 

5. Ötzi the Iceman

Ötzi the Iceman is one of the most famous mummies in the world. His accidental discovery in 1991 by two German tourists on a hike immediately drew worldwide media coverage. Since he was recovered from the Ötztal Alps, which he’s named after, he has been extensively studied. Due to the location of his death, Ötzi’s body was well-preserved by the ice. Through different tests, we now know several things about Ötzi: he has living relatives who share a common ancestor that lived 10,000 – 12,000 years ago; he had over 50 tattoos across his body; he had anatomical abnormalities as well as several health problems; and his diet consisted of pollen and goats. In 2012, scientists were able to extract red blood cells from Ötzi’s body.

 

4. Gebelein Man (“Ginger”)

The Gebelein Man is the most well-known of the six naturally mummified bodies discovered in graves near Gebelein (now called Naga el-Gherira), Egypt. The Gebelein Man was the first uncovered at the site in 1896 and since 1901, the body has been displayed at the British Museum. The mummy was nicknamed Ginger because of its visibly red hair. In 2012, new research revealed that the Gebelein Man was probably murdered. Researchers have always noted the wound on the surface of the mummies skin, but did not discover how damaged his body was until they conducted a digital autopsy. They discovered that his shoulder blade as well as the rib under that shoulder blade were damaged, which suggests he died a violent death.

 

3. Tashwinat Mummy

The Tashwinat Mummy found at the Uan Muhuggiag archaeological site in Libya is between 5,400 – 5,600  years old. The age of the mummy is significant because it predates any of the mummies found in neighboring Egypt. It was discovered by Professor Fabrizio Mori in 1958. The mummy is a small child, about 3 years old, that was found in the fetal position. The body was embalmed, carefully wrapped with leaves, and covered by an antelope skin; its entrails were replaced with wild herbs to help with its preservation. The Tashiwnat Mummy is currently the oldest known mummy from Africa. Since its discovery, researchers now believe that mummification in Africa did not start in Egypt, but probably elsewhere in the continent by an unknown civilization.

2. Chinchorro Mummies

The Chinchorro Mummies are considered to be some of the oldest mummies in the world. Since they were first discovered in 1917, over 282 mummies have been uncovered at burial sites along the narrow coastal strip from Ilo in southern Peru to Antofagasta in northern Chile. About 29 percent of the mummies were naturally preserved, including the oldest mummy in the group, the Acha Man. Around 5000 BCE, the Chinchorro people began purposely mummifying their dead, about 2,000 years before the Egyptians started the practice. The Chinchorro continued to preserve their dead until about 3000 BCE and developed three distinct styles of mummification – black, red, and mud-coated.

 

1. Spirit Cave Mummy

The Spirit Cave Mummy is the oldest known mummy in the world. It was first discovered in 1940 by Sydney and Georgia Wheeler, a husband and wife archaeological team. The Spirit Cave Mummy was naturally preserved by the heat and aridity of the cave it was found in. In 1997, the Paiute-Shoshone Tribe of Nevada’s Fallon Reservation enacted The Native American Grave Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) to claim the Spirit Cave Mummy’s remains. For nearly two decades the Paiute-Shoshone Tribe fought a legal battle against the U.S. government, who did not want to return the mummy. In 2016 the mummy was finally returned to the Paiute-Shoshone Tribe, after its DNA was sequenced to determine that he was related to contemporary Native Americans.

 

Source: Wikipedia - Chinchorro Mummies  |   Facts About the Oldest Mummies

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - PEACE CORPS

Did you know.... that the Peace Corps is an independent agency and volunteer program run by the United States Government providing international social and economic development assistance. The program was established by Executive Order 10924 issued by President John F. Kennedy in March 1961 and authorized by Congress on September 22, 1961 with passage of the Peace Corps Act. (Wikipedia)

 

Little-Known Facts About the Peace Corps
Eight surprising facts about one of the United States’ most iconic service programs.
by EVAN ANDREWS  |  UPDATED:SEP 22, 2020  |  ORIGINAL:SEP 21, 2016

 

 

1. The idea for the Peace Corps predated John F. Kennedy.

Hubert Humphrey 

While President John F. Kennedy took the lead in establishing the Peace Corps, he wasn’t the first politician to propose an international service organization. One of the idea’s earliest champions was Wisconsin Representative Henry Reuss, who pushed for the creation of a “Point Four Youth Corps” in the late 1950s. In June 1960, meanwhile, Minnesota Senator Hubert Humphrey coined the name “Peace Corps” when he introduced a bill advocating for a program to send “young men to assist the peoples of the underdeveloped areas of the world to combat poverty, disease, illiteracy and hunger.” Neither of the earlier proposals gained traction, but they played a key role in inspiring Kennedy and his staff to begin researching the idea during the 1960 presidential campaign.

 

2. JFK first floated the idea of the Peace Corps during an impromptu speech at the University of Michigan.

John F. Kennedy speaks with students at the University of Michigan on October 14, 1960.

At 2 a.m. on October 14, 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy arrived at the University of Michigan near the end of his presidential campaign. The candidate had planned on heading straight to bed, but when he noticed that a crowd of 10,000 students had gathered to greet him, he stepped behind a microphone and gave an unscripted speech. “How many of you who are going to be doctors, are willing to spend your days in Ghana?” he asked. “Technicians or engineers, how many of you are willing to work in the Foreign Service and spend your lives traveling around the world?” Kennedy wouldn’t officially call for a “peace corps of talented young men and women” until two weeks later, but his late-night challenge is now cited as the program’s founding moment. The University of Michigan in Ann Arbor even has a plaque on its campus marking the spot where Kennedy “first defined the Peace Corps.”

3. The Peace Corps was organized in just a few months.

R. Sargent Shriver, director of the Peace Corps, in 1961. 

By the time he was inaugurated as president, Kennedy’s Peace Corps had become one of the most talked-about aspects of his platform. University students circulated petitions and pledges to serve, and more than 25,000 letters arrived from prospective volunteers. Faced with such an overwhelming response, Kennedy placed his brother-in-law, Sargent Shriver, in charge of a special task force to create the new organization. Shriver and a brain trust of academics issued a report on the program in just a few weeks, and Kennedy officially established the Peace Corps by executive order on March 1, 1961. Work continued at a frantic pace over the next few months as Shriver—the organization’s first director—interviewed applicants and enlisted the participation of foreign governments. By August 30, little more than seven months after Kennedy’s inauguration, the first contingent of 51 Peace Corps volunteers had already arrived in Accra, Ghana, to serve as teachers.

 

4. The Peace Corps had several high profile critics.

President Kennedy signs the Peace Corps Bill, 1961
President Kennedy considered the Peace Corps a Cold War tool to bolster the United States’ reputation and counter the Soviet Union’s influence abroad, but many of his fellow lawmakers were skeptical of what was mockingly called the “Kiddie Corps.” Richard Nixon branded the program a “cult of escapism” and argued that it catered to young men looking to skip out on the military draft. Former President Dwight D. Eisenhower, meanwhile, called it a “juvenile experiment” and suggested that its members should be sent to the moon. Despite the criticisms, the Peace Corps remained popular among college students and young people during its early days. By its fifth anniversary in 1966, it boasted over 15,000 volunteers serving two-year terms in 46 countries.

 

5. Former CIA employees are barred from joining the Peace Corps.

A Peace Corps volunteers in Costa Rica, c. 1985. 

Since it was founded during the height of the Cold War, the Peace Corps was often subject to speculation that it was a front organization for the Central Intelligence Agency. The Kennedy administration ordered the CIA not to meddle in the Peace Corps’ affairs, but many host countries still believed rumors and Soviet propaganda that the program’s volunteers were undercover spies. In the interest of avoiding any connection to the espionage community, the Peace Corps has always maintained a blanket ban on former CIA employees becoming volunteers. Former members of other intelligence outfits are allowed to serve in some cases, but only after a 10-year waiting period.

 

6. Over 300 Peace Corps volunteers have died in service.

Filipino children light candles for slain Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell in Legaspi, Philippines, in May 2007. 

Peace Corps volunteers often face extreme conditions while working in remote and undeveloped parts of the world. The organization suffered its first casualties in 1962, when volunteers Larry Radley and David Crozier were killed in a plane crash in Colombia. Since then, around 300 other volunteers have died on duty from car crashes, accidents, sickness, drowning, animal attacks and violent crime. While certain hazards are unavoidable, the Peace Corps often evacuates volunteers from unstable or potentially dangerous parts of the world. In recent years, security concerns have seen it suspend operations in Kazakhstan, Niger, Honduras, Jordan and El Salvador.

 

7. Peace Corps volunteers assisted in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

The Peace Corps is designed to work in the developing world, but a lone exception to its overseas mandate came in 2005, when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita ravaged the U.S. Gulf Coast. In the wake of the storms, the Peace Corps dispatched nearly 300 veteran volunteers to Louisiana to distribute food, search for survivors and clear debris. The relief efforts marked the first time in Peace Corps history that the organization carried out operations on home soil. Information on fallen Peace Corps volunteers and staff can be found at fpcv.org.
 

8. There is no upper age limit for Peace Corps volunteers.

Lillian Carter in India, 1968.

The average age of Peace Corps volunteers is 28, but the organization has no rule preventing the middle-aged or the elderly from serving. President Jimmy Carter’s mother Lillian famously joined the Peace Corps at age 68, and roughly 7 percent of all current volunteers are over age 50. As of 2016, the Peace Corps’ oldest active member was Alice Carter, an 87-year-old Boston grandmother serving in Morocco.

 

Source: Wikipedia - Peace Corps  |  Facts You Might Not Know About the Peace Corps
 

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - CAMELS

Dromedary camel in outback Australia, near Silverton, NSW.

Did you know.... that a camel is an even-toed ungulate in the genus Camelus that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. Camels have long been domesticated and, as livestock, they provide food and textiles. Camels are working animals especially suited to their desert habitat and are a vital means of transport for passengers and cargo. There are three surviving species of camel. The one-humped dromedary makes up 94% of the world's camel population, and the two-humped Bactrian camel makes up 6%. The Wild Bactrian camel is a separate species and is now critically endangered. (Wikipedia)

 

Fascinating Facts About Camels
By Jaymi Heimbuch  |  Updated January 4, 2021

 

Camels are large land mammals best known for their humps. There are three camel species: dromedary, Bactrian, and wild Bactrian camels. The single-humped dromedary camel represents 90 percent of the world camel population. There are two species of Bactrian camels, wild and domesticated, which both have two humps. Wild Bactrian camels are critically endangered with fewer than 1,000 individuals remaining. Domesticated Bactrian camels are found in Central Asia; dromedary camels inhabit the Middle East and central Australia, where they were introduced. Wild Bactrian camels occupy isolated areas of China and Mongolia. From their unique ability to store energy in their humps to their efficient rehydrating skills, discover the most fascinating facts about camels.

 

1. There Are Three Species of Camels

 

There are three types of camels in the world: dromedary camels (or Arabian camels), Bactrian camels (or Asian camels), and wild Bactrian camels (Camelus ferus). The majority of camels are domestic. The only wild camel species, wild Bactrian camels, are only found in just a few locations in China and Mongolia. Dromedary camels are domestic camels with long curved necks and a single hump, while Bactrian camels have two humps. All three species of camels are tall — dromedary camels average six feet tall and Bactrian camels are around seven feet in height.

2. Camels Don't Store Water in Their Humps
The camel's hump is its most notable feature. However, contrary to popular belief, it isn't used to store water. Instead, the hump stores fat. The fat releases both energy and water when resources are unavailable. It also serves another purpose: By storing most of its fat in one place, a camel is not covered in insulating fat and thus can stay cooler in the desert heat.  Healthy camels with significant fat stores can survive without food or water for a couple of weeks.

 

3. They Are Built for the Desert
Camels have many adaptations for living in harsh desert environments. To keep out dust and sand, they have three eyelids and two sets of eyelashes. They also have extra thick lips that allow them to eat thorny plants that other animals can't. Thick pads of skin on their chest and knees protect them from hot sand, and large, flat feet allow them to walk without sinking into the sand. Camels can even close their nostrils to keep out dust.

 

4. They Can Hydrate Quickly

 

While camels don’t store water in their humps, these desert animals are great at conserving water. Dromedary camels use heterothermy to regulate their body temperature throughout the day. This prevents them from sweating during daily increases in temperature, conserving water. When a camel does come across water, it can fill up in a hurry, drinking as much as 26 gallons in 10 minutes.

 

5. Camels Are Social Animals 
Camels travel in herds and both dromedary and Bactrian camels are social creatures. Groups are composed of as many as 30 individuals including a family unit with one dominant male. With the exception of males establishing dominance during breeding, camels are not prone to aggressive outbursts. They don’t just travel together; camels also communicate with members of their group by making sounds like moans and bellows.

 

6. They Provide Nourishment
Camels have provided sustenance to humans for thousands of years in the form of meat and milk. Camel's milk is lower in cholesterol and higher in vitamin C and minerals like sodium and potassium compared with the milk of other ruminants. Milk from camels is also considered to be more like human milk than milk from cows. In the arid desert regions camels inhabit, their meat is also an important source of protein.

 

7. They Do the Heavy Lifting

 

Camels have an impressive ability to carry a heavy load. The Bactrian camel can carry up to 440 pounds in a day, while the dromedary can haul up to 220 pounds. When walking, both legs on the same side of the camel's body move at the same time, called a pace.

Because the fat stored in their humps provides energy, these herbivores are able to work without requiring frequent breaks for food or water.

 

8. The Wild Bactrian Camel Is Critically Endangered


Though most camels are domesticated, the small number of wild Bactrian camels remaining are critically endangered. Classified as a separate species from the domesticated Bactrian camel, C. ferus is found in only four areas: three in northwest China (Gashun Gobi, Taklamakan Desert, and Lake Lop Camel National Reserve adjacent to the mountain ranges of Arjin Shan) and one in Mongolia, in the Great Gobi Section A Strictly Protected Area. There are estimated to be fewer than 1,000 wild Bactrian camels remaining, and their population is expected to decrease by as much as 80 percent over the next 45 to 50 years. Threats to wild Bactrian camels include subsistence hunting, predation by wolves, degradation of habitat, and competition with domestic Bactrian camels for resources. In China, the wild Bactrian camel is also threatened by the potential designation of its habitat for industrial use.

 

 

Source: Wikipedia - Camel  |  Facts About Camels

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - ANIMAL SLEEP HABITS

Did you know... that everyone needs a good night's sleep or at least a power nap to keep you alert and functioning all day long. People can sleep safe and secure in their own beds. But what's an animal to do if it has to keep away from predators, fly, swim, or even remember how to breathe when it sleeps. (Goodnet.org)

 

Surprising Animal Sleep Habits

by Interesting Facts

Every animal needs sleep in one form or another, although we still don’t fully understand why. But whether they sleep in underground dens or tree nests, during the night or during the day, some animals have some pretty unique sleeping patterns. For instance, the large hairy armadillo and the little pocket mouse are the real champs when it comes to catching zzzs — they both snooze more than 20 hours a night. Read on for some of the fascinating ways animals have evolved to make the most of their shut-eye.

 

1. Otters

Otters just might win the award for most adorable sleeping habits of the animal kingdom. They usually sleep on their backs while bobbing on the surface of the water, and they sometimes hold hands with their buddy while asleep so they don’t drift apart. Other times, they’ll wrap themselves in seaweed to keep anchored in place. As many as 100 otters have been observed wrapped together with seaweed in otter “rafts.” Mother otters also use seaweed to wrap their pups onto their chest, since the babies can’t swim when they’re first born.

 

2. Orangutans

Humans aren’t the only primates who sleep on mattresses. Orangutans and other great apes bend and break foliage into complicated sleeping platforms, and they sleep deeply on them in trees or on the ground. Little orangutans practice making these platforms, also called nests, at only six months old, but it takes them until they’re around three or four years old before they get good at it. Researchers aren’t entirely sure why great apes build these platforms, but it may have originally been to avoid falling out of trees.

 

3. Bats

Brown bats are often said to be one of the sleepiest animals — they have been recorded sleeping almost 20 hours a day. However, their sleepy rep comes from lab studies done on captive bats in 1969, and the studies hardly mimicked the bats’ natural environment. But even if the duration of their sleep isn’t that unusual, bats are still notable for sleeping upside down. They hang from cave ceilings, tree branches, or other surfaces thanks to specialized tendons in their feet that allow them to grip tightly while still keeping their legs relaxed. Sleeping upside down helps bats defend against predators: Unlike birds, bats can’t just flap their wings to take flight, and they use gravity to take off. Hanging upside down is their pre-flight pose, so if a predator attacks while they’re snoozing, they’ll drop down and instinctively fly off before they’ve even fully woken up. One kind of bat even sleeps with the proverbial one eye open, a phenomenon known as unihemispheric sleep. In this adaptation, only one half of the brain — and one eye — is asleep at a time. The other is awake, often to keep alert for predators. While Wahlberg’s epauletted fruit bats (Epomophorus wahlbergi) have been found to sleep this way, they’re the only non-marine mammal that does so. Elsewhere in the natural world, porpoises, bottlenose dolphins, and many kinds of birds (even chickens!) sleep only half a brain at a time.

 

4. Horses

As big animals that live out in open plains, horses are pretty vulnerable to predators while they’re asleep. So they’ve evolved a part of their anatomy to help them sleep standing up. It’s a system of ligaments and tendons called a stay apparatus, which locks into place so the creatures can sleep standing upright without actively using their muscles. Sleeping while on all fours helps them flee at a moment’s notice. Zebras and elephants, among other large creatures, use similar systems. But horses do need to lie down for REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, and that’s when being a herd animal has its benefits. Within the herd, some horses will sleep lying down while others sleep standing up. Fortunately, horses need only about 30 or 40 minutes of REM sleep a night, and they can get that in short bursts instead of all in one stretch.

 

5. Great Frigatebirds

For years, scientists thought that birds that fly for days or weeks at a time on long journeys, like albatrosses, must somehow snooze mid-air. But they didn’t have proof until 2018, when scientists writing in Nature Communications reported that Great Frigatebirds (Fregata minor) — a species that can fly for two months without touching land or sea — sleep while flying, in 10-second bursts. Electroencephalographs (EEGs) implanted into the birds' brains found that they sleep for only around 45 minutes total while mid-air, usually after dark. The birds also often sleep with only one side of their brain at a time while in flight (unihemispheric sleep). They do it not to evade predators, since they don’t have any in the skies, but perhaps to avoid mid-air collisions. The birds do, however, sleep longer when they’re on land, where they may also sleep with both sides of their brains at once.

 

6. Egyptian Land Snails

Land snails hibernate under stones or rocks for the winter, but desert snails estivate — meaning they spend their summers in a state of dormancy. These summer rests can be quite prolonged, and in the 1840s one desert snail even fooled the staff of the British Museum. According to Natural History magazine, in 1846 a museum worker affixed what they believed was a dead Egyptian land snail to a museum identification card. Four years later, staff noticed trails of slime on the card. The card was immersed in water, and the animal crawled right off.

 

Source: Fun Facts About Animal Sleep Habits  |  Facts About Animal Sleep Habits

Edited March 4, 2022 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - PRINTERS

wide-carriage dot matrix printer

Did you know.... that In computing, a printer is a peripheral machine which makes a persistent representation of graphics or text, usually on paper. While most output is human-readable, bar code printers are an example of an expanded use for printers. (Wikipedia)

 

Interesting Facts About Printers That You Might Not Have Known
By Alan  |  June 23, 2021  |  Updated: June 25, 2021

The printer is one of the most popular items found in many homes, used to print out the family vacation pictures, print out the homework and print out bank statements. Yes, the humble printer is not only used by the family to print out the photos, but also by the entire family to print out the bank statements, bills and homework. It’s simply an essential device, and it’s one that we use every day—and it’s an item that we might not even be aware of how often we use. There are quite a few facts we already know about these cool machines, so it’s time to take a look at seven fun facts about printers below.

 

1. The longest continuous digital photo print in the world
It was done with a Canon image PROGRAF PRO-6100 large format printer in the year 2020. The record organizers were able to cover the entire Schattenbergschanze ski jump in Oberstdorf, Germany. A monumental print measuring 109 meters (309.7 ft) in length, took 16 hours to produce, and consumed approximately 1,37 liters of ink.

 

Cannon Attempts World Record For Longest Digitally Printed Photo
 

2. The ink is a precious liquid

There is no doubt that if someone compiled a list of the ten most precious liquids in the world, the printer ink would be among the top ten. It would cost you approximately $2000 for one gallon of ink for your printer. As an example, human blood is much cheaper at around $180 – $300 per pint, which translates to $1440 – $2400 per gallon.

 

3. Harry Potter holds the world record

Everybody knows Harry Potter, right? It is the most successful entertainment franchise in history: it has sold more than 400 million copies, been translated into dozens of languages, and created a new generation of fans that has brought the stories to life in real life.

As far as the size of the single print run goes, the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows first printing was the largest. A total of 12 million copies were printed in a row. There are a great deal of printer parts in there, that’s for sure!

 

4. Gutenberg started the printing revolution

Gutenberg’s Bible
The list of 7 fun facts about printers would not be complete without mentioning Gutenberg. One of the most important inventions of the Renaissance, the Gutenberg press is regarded as the first real mass-production printing machine (also called the printing revolution). This was in the year 1440. Could you imagine what the innovator would say if he saw a 3D printer? And it was Johannes Gutenberg who started it all with the publication of (mass-produced) Gutenberg’s Bible.

 

5. Laser printing almost failed

Chester Carlson invented the first laser printer in 1938, but it was hated by everyone at the time. In fact, the first laser printer is probably just as famous for being the first failure of its kind. Carlson was an experienced engineer, but his machine was far from the most advanced model of that time. It used a vacuum tube and was prone to breakdowns, and it was so slow it couldn’t even print half a page a minute. The result? Almost no one bought his invention. In fact, it didn’t even work as a prototype. So, why is this first laser printer remembered? Because it ignited a revolution. It was only once Xerox entered the scene and teamed up with Carlson that the USA was taken by storm in terms of printing technology. We at Photoopia are a testament to this change in mindset. 

 

6. Printing is a Hot Stuff

With laser printers, the temperature of the fuser can reach up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Toner is melted into the paper when that happens. It is also the same temperature that is needed to prepare a delicious key lime pie.

 

7. What is the fastest desktop printer in the world?
HP OfficeJet Pro X is the fastest series of desktop printers. On the basis of the documented Guinness Book record from 2012, both HP X551dw and X576dw models were capable of printing 500 copies in a mere 7 minutes and 19 seconds.

 

 

Meet The World´S Fastest Printer

 

 

Source: Wikipedia - Printer  |  Facts About Printers

 

Edited March 17, 2022 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - ERASERS

Did you know.... that an eraser is an article of stationery that is used for removing marks from paper or skin. Erasers have a rubbery consistency and come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Some pencils have an eraser on one end. Less expensive erasers are made from synthetic rubber and synthetic soy-based gum, but more expensive or specialized erasers are made from vinyl, plastic, or gum-like materials. (Wikipedia)

 

The very first pencils arrived around the dawn of the 17th century, after graphite (the real name for the mineral that forms a pencil’s “lead”) was discovered in England's Lake District. But the eraser didn’t show up until the 1770s, at the tail end of the Enlightenment. So what filled the roughly 170-year-long gap? Look no further than the bread on your table. Back in the day, artists, scientists, government officials, and anyone else prone to making mistakes would wad up a small piece of bread and moisten it ever so slightly. The resulting ball of dough erased pencil marks on paper almost as well as those pink creations found on the end of No. 2 pencils today.  But in 1770, English chemist Joseph Priestly (best known for discovering oxygen) wrote about “a substance excellently adapted to the purpose of wiping from paper the marks of a black lead pencil.” This substance, then known as caoutchouc, was so perfect for “rubbing” out pencil marks that it soon became known simply as “rubber.” Even today, people in the U.K. still refer to erasers as “rubbers.” (The name “lead-eater” never quite caught on.) (Interesting Facts)

 

Things You Probably Did Not Know About Eraser Technology

By Megan Garber  |  August 2013

It's true, as Arthur C. Clarke said, that the most advanced technologies are indistinguishable from magic. It's not true, however, that the world's most magical technologies are all related to computers. What could be more magic, after all, than the eraser—the little wad of rubber that undoes your mistakes and changes, mark by tiny little pencil mark, human history? Erasers as we know them today are a relatively modern invention. But erasers as a general category are age-old. The ancient Greeks and Romans relied on palimpsests and smoothable wax tablets to ensure erasability. Those gave way, eventually, to White-Out and Photoshop's "magic eraser" tool and, of course, the ultimate undoer of deeds: the delete key. But erasers are far from obsolescence—just as writing itself is far from obsolescence. Below, 10 things to know about erasers.

 

1. The original erasers were bread. Moist bread.

Until the 1770s, humanity's preferred way of erasing errant graphite marks relied on bread that had been de-crusted, moistened and balled up. While these erasers were cheap and plentiful, they had a distinct disadvantage: They were, you know, made of bread. They were susceptible, like all bread, to mold and rot. Talk about a kneaded eraser.

 

2. The same guy who discovered oxygen helped to invent erasers.
In 1770, the natural philosopher and theologian Joseph Priestley—discoverer of oxygen and, with it, the carbonated liquid we now know as soda water—described "a substance excellently adapted to the purpose of wiping from paper the mark of black lead pencil." The substance was rubber.

 

3. Erasers were invented by accident.

Though Joseph Priestly may have discovered rubber's erasing properties, it's the British engineer Edward Nairne who is generally credited with developing and marketing the first rubber eraser in Europe. And Nairne claimed to have come upon his invention accidentally: He inadvertently picked up a piece of rubber instead of breadcrumbs, he said, thereby realizing rubber's erasing properties.

 

4. "Rubber" actually gets its name from erasers.
It was Priestley who is generally credited for naming rubber. The erasing "substance" he described in 1770—initially referred to as "India gum"—required, he remarked, rubbing action on the part of the user. Thus, yep, a "rubber." The name ended up generally applying to erasers' construction material rather than erasers themselves, especially after Charles Goodyear figured out how to vulcanize the stuff in the mid-1800s. In Britain, erasers themselves are still often called "rubbers." (Which may lead to some confusion, maybe.)

 

5. Erasers don't just work manually; they work chemically.

Pencils work because, when they are put to paper, their graphite mingles with the fiber particles that comprise the paper. And erasers work, in turn, because the polymers that make them up are stickier than the particles of paper—so graphite particles end up getting stuck to the eraser instead. They're almost like sticky magnets.

 

6. Pencils with built-in erasers on the tops are a largely American phenomenon.
Most pencils sold in Europe are eraser-less. Read into that cultural difference what you will.

 

7. Many erasers contain volcanic ash.

Those ubiquitous pink erasers, in particular—the pencil-toppers and Pink Pearls of the world—make use of pulverized pumice to add abrasiveness. And pumice is, of course, volcanic ash.

 

8. The little erasers on pencil ends are known as "plugs."
Yep. And those small bands of metal that contain the plugs are called "ferrules."

 

9. Many of today's most high-tech erasers are made of vinyl.

While the pink erasers you find on pencils are made of synthetic rubber, an increasing number of erasers are made of vinyl. Vinyl's durability and flexibility give erasers made of it "minimal crumbling," and offer, overall, "first-class erasing performance." Plus, obviously, the sound quality is richer with vinyl.

 

10. There are such things as electric erasers.
Seriously. These erasers supposedly offer "a smooth erasure with a minimum of paper trauma."

 

 

Source: Wikipedia - Eraser  |  What You Might Not Know About Erasers
 

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - HOW YOU LOOK AT THE WORLD

Did you know... that the map you're used to is more Western-focused and stretches out the size of continents near the poles. Africa and South America are actually way bigger. Here's a more accurate representation of the world, according to the The Gall-Peters Projection map, created in 1885. (Weird News)

 

Facts That Will Change How You Look at the World

by Interesting Facts

Even for the most avid explorers, this planet hides more than a few surprises — like that Reno, Nevada, is farther west than Los Angeles. For more earth-shaking information — like which state is simultaneously the westernmost, easternmost, and northernmost in the U.S. — check out the following facts that just might change your perspective forever.

 

Reno, Nevada, Is Farther West Than Los Angeles

Los Angeles is typically seen as the West Coast city. It is right next to the ocean and it has all those beaches, so it would make sense for it to be farther west than a desert city like Reno, right? Wrong: Reno is actually around 86 miles farther west than Los Angeles, due to the curve of California and the placement of the states.

 

Asia Is Bigger Than the Moon

The moon isn't as big as it looks. It’s around 27% of the size of Earth and has 14.6 million square miles of surface area. Although this seems like a lot, it is significantly less than the total surface area of Asia, which is 17.2 million square miles — making Earth's biggest continent larger than the moon.

 

Continents Shift at the Same Speed That Your Fingernails Grow

If you were awake during geology class, you will remember that the planet's tectonic plates are in a state of near-constant movement. This is how the Earth went from having basically one big continent to having seven. For around 40 million years, the continents were in a slow phase, moving away from each other at a rate of about one millimeter per year. Then, about 200 million years ago, things got kicked into high gear and the plates began to move at 20 millimeters per year, which, scientists say, is equivalent to the speed at which fingernails grow.

 

Mount Everest Is Not the World's Tallest Mountain

If someone asks you "What is the tallest mountain in the world?" you’d probably answer, "Why, Mount Everest, of course — everyone knows that." Sadly, you would be wrong. Technically, Mount Everest is the tallest mountain above sea level, but it isn't the tallest in the world. That honor goes to Mauna Kea in Hawaii. Mauna Kea rises up 13,796 feet above sea level (compared to Everest's 29,035 feet), but it also extends down an additional 19,700 feet below sea level into the Pacific Ocean. That makes it the world’s tallest mountain as measured from base to peak.

 

Alaska Is the Westernmost, Easternmost, and Northernmost State in the U.S.

This sounds impossible, but we assure you it's true. From looking at a map, it's pretty obvious that Alaska is the northernmost state in the country. What's surprising? The Aleutian Islands between Russia and Alaska boast the westernmost point of the United States, but in what seems like some sort of geographical oxymoron, they are also home to the easternmost point of the U.S. too. An island called Semisopochnoi has a spot that sits so far to the west (around 10 miles west of the Prime Meridian) that it actually becomes the easternmost spot in the U.S. too. (Wikipedia)

 

Maine Is the Closest State to Africa

When you think of Maine, its proximity to Africa probably doesn't come to mind. Surprisingly enough, Maine is the closest U.S. state to Africa, as the Quoddy Head peninsula is within 3,154 miles of El Beddouza, Africa. The two are divided by the northern part of the Atlantic Ocean and not much else, so if you ever want to say that you came close to visiting Africa without actually leaving the country, head to the Pine Tree State.

 

If You Head South From Detroit, You Could End Up in Canada

We can hear you now: "Wait a second — isn't Canada north of the United States?" And the answer to that is yes … and no. Most of Canada is above the U.S. on the map, but a small part of it reaches down just underneath Detroit. Because of this, traveling south and slightly to the east from a few places in Detroit could bring you to Canada, which may or may not be disorienting.

 

Minnesota Has the Most Shoreline in the United States
Minnesota has been called the "land of 10,000 lakes," and it has the shoreline to prove it. The state has an incredible 90,000 miles of shoreline, which is more than Florida, California, and Hawaii combined.

 

Europe Is Home to Six Microstates

When you think of the world's tiniest countries, the island nations of the Caribbean or the South Pacific might pop into your mind. In fact, six of the world's smallest countries, or microstates, are located in Europe. The world's smallest country is Vatican City, inside of Rome, which is home to the Roman Catholic Church and is ruled by the Pope; Italy is also home to the microstate of San Marino, the world's oldest constitutional republic and sovereign state. The other four European microstates include Monaco on the French Riviera, Andorra in the Pyrenees Mountains, Liechtenstein sandwiched between Switzerland and Austria, and the small archipelago of Malta, which lies in the Mediterranean.

 

Europe Has a Rainforest
The thought of a rainforest probably conjures up images of stunning flora and fauna found in the Amazon and other tropical locations. But if you travel to Bosnia and Herzegovina, you will find Perućica, a rainforest and one of two remaining old-growth forests in Europe. The forest lies within Sutjeska National Park and remains protected. Nicknamed "the Lungs of Europe," Perućica is home to more than 170 species of trees and bushes, including beech, fir, spruce, and mountain maple, as well as more than 1,000 species of herbaceous plants. Visitors especially enjoy the panoramic views from Vidikovac, a lookout point for Skakavac Waterfall, which falls 246 feet into a forest-covered valley.

 

Greenland Is Not Its Own Country

The days of Spanish exploration, the Great British Empire, and European colonization are mostly gone, with many countries having long since gained independence from their motherland. Some overseas territories still do exist, however, and Greenland is one of them. It's technically an autonomous territory of Denmark, as well as the world's largest island (three times the size of Texas!) if you don't consider the continent of Australia. Greenland is known for its large ice sheet, expansive tundra, and native Inuit residents.

 

Europe Is Larger Than Australia
Maps distort our perception of the world, especially in terms of country and continent size, because it's difficult to project the circular globe onto a flat surface with a high degree of accuracy. For example, the common Mercator map has been criticized for exaggerating the size of countries closer to the poles while downplaying the size of countries and continents near the equator. When you look at the map, Australia appears quite large, making Europe the obvious candidate for the "Smallest Continent Award." To be fair, Australia is a large landmass that would qualify as the largest island in the world if it weren't a continent. With all that said, Europe is actually larger than Australia by about 30%.

 

At Its Closest Point, Asia Is Only About 50 Miles From North America

For those living in North America, Asia can feel like it's on the other side of the world. The average flight time from Asia to North America is about 16 hours, which is no small undertaking, but the two continents aren't as far apart as you might think. Asia and North America are only about 53 miles apart at the Bering Strait, a body of water that separates Russia and Alaska. It's believed that during the Ice Age, the water levels in the Bering Strait fell so low that the area became a land bridge between Asia and North America, which allowed both animals and people to migrate from one continent to the other.

 

Source: Mindblowing Facts  |  Facts That Will Change Your Perspective on the World

Edited March 7, 2022 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - GOOD LUCK SYMBOLS (CHARMS)

Did you know.... that a good luck charm is an amulet or other item that is believed to bring good luck. Almost any object can be used as a charm. Coins and buttons are examples, as are small objects given as gifts, due to the favorable associations they make. Many souvenir shops have a range of tiny items that may be used as good luck charms. Good luck charms are often worn on the body, but not necessarily.

 

Good Luck Charms From Around the World
This St. Patrick's Day, luck isn't just for the Irish.

By Lauren Boyer  |  March 17, 2017

While Ireland and its shamrocks remain synonymous with good fortune, the idea of a particular object bestowing positive karma upon its owner isn't unique to the country. In fact, the word "luck" isn't Irish at all, according to Dictionary.com, which suggests the term's origins may be Middle Dutch, a shortening of the word "gelucke." Here's a look at trinkets and symbols considered good luck around the world.

 

Rabbit's foot

From knocking on wood to horseshoes to ladybugs, United States popular culture idolizes many tokens and rituals believed to bring good fortune. None are seemingly as strange, however, as the rabbit's foot: a severed mammalian paw often dyed and fastened into a keychain for safe keeping. The origins of this tradition depend on who you ask. Numerous websites trace the belief to ancient Celts who thought rabbits – creatures that burrow into the Earth – could communicate directly with gods and spirits. Meanwhile, quoting folklorist Bill Ellis, Scientific American attributes the good luck charm to “African American magical traditions” and the witty character of Br'er Rabbit, known to use his brain to overcome adversity.

 

Carp scales

This Christmas Eve carp dinner is a tradition of sorts in certain parts of Europe. But it's not as simple as it might sound. In Poland, Austria, Germany and other nearby countries, the fish must live in the family bathtub for days beforehand, according to NPR. After the meal, people collect the carp scales – a sign of good luck for the new year. Some people even carry them around in their wallets.

 

Scarabs

A beetle that eats poop to survive hardly seems like the type of creature that ought to be idolized or worshiped. In ancient Egypt, however, people found purpose watching scarabs roll feces across the sand. “For the Egyptians, that was symbolic of the sun moving across the sky,” Gene Kritsky, author of "Insect Mythology," told NPR affiliate WKSU. Thus, the culture viewed the dung beetle as the embodiment of the sun god Khepri, according to National Geographic. The insect's likeness, adopted as a good luck charm, still appears in jewelry today.

 

Acorns

The squirrels are onto something. In Norway, the acorn is a token of good luck taken from Viking folklore. In Norse legend, the oak tree represents Thor, the god of thunder and lightning, according to DailyMail. To protect their homes from lightning, ancient Norse filled their homes with acorns.

 

Swastikas

Before it appeared in logos for white supremacist groups, the swastika had a more innocent connotation. Derived from the Sanskrit word "svastika," meaning "good fortune" or "well-being," the symbol – a cross with hooks – is a common sight on temples or homes in India or Indonesia, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Prior to World War II, the good luck emblem was even adopted in western advertising and architecture. In the 19th century, German scholars translating Sanskrit noticed a similarity with their own language. "They concluded that Indians and Germans must have had a shared ancestry and imagined a race of white god-like warriors they called Aryans," writes BBC. From there, a symbol of luck became a symbol of hate.

 

"Evil eye" beads

Stroll through any bazaar in Turkey and you'll likely find ceramic amulets featuring a dark blue circle surrounding the shape of an eye. The Nazar Boncuğu, as it's called, is an eye-shaped pendant thought to ward off the "evil eye." Placed on anything from rings to wall hangings, it is believed to absorb bad energy, protecting its owner from curses and illness.

 

The Color Red

China, a culture of symbolism, has no shortage of objects representing strength, health, longevity and other positive characteristics. There's the "laughing Buddha" for happiness and bamboo, which brings a year of prosperity. Another widespread symbol, especially during Chinese New Year, is the color red. People hang up red lanterns, wear red clothing, and give each other red envelopes containing money. According to Reader's Digest, the tradition begins in Chinese folklore with Nian, a red beast that destroyed crops and ate children on the New Year. Once Nian was defeated, the color became a symbol of good fortune – even worn by brides on their wedding days.

 

Source: Wikipedia - Lucky Symbols  |  Facts About Good Luck Charms

Edited March 8, 2022 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - CHOCOLATE

Did you know... that chocolate is a food product made from roasted and ground cacao pods, that is available as a liquid, solid or paste, on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civilization (19th-11th century BCE), and the majority of Mesoamerican people - including the Maya and Aztecs - made chocolate beverages. (Wikipedia)

 

SURPRISING FACTS ABOUT CHOCOLATE
By Daniel Loeschen  |  June 27, 2019 

Chocolate is so much more than a snack to eat while binge watching Netflix all night long. Just one piece has so much history and hidden usages behind it, you would be surprised how powerful it really is and how many interesting chocolate facts exist. Check out below for the top 10 surprising facts about chocolate you probably didn’t know.

 

1. It is a Powerful Mental Stimulant

Chocolate has the power to widen blood vessels and can even help reduce blood pressure. Not to mention, it is very effective at keeping the main populous awake and focused for hours. A recent study at Northern Arizona University on the effective ability of chocolate keeping over 120 subjects awake. After being fed 60% cacao dark chocolate the subjects were kept awake and alert beyond levels that the scientists conducting the study were expecting.

 

2. White Chocolate is Not Real Chocolate

Believe it or not, white chocolate does not contain any chocolate liquor or cocoa solids like dark or milk chocolate. However, it does contain a small amount of cacao bean respectively.

 

3. Chocolate Was Used to Make Alcohol

Around 1400 to 1100 B.C. civilization fermented cocoa beans to create alcoholic drinks. Discovered in Honduras, researchers have learned that it was first farmed for this purpose before it was eventually used to create the sweet dessert we eat in today’s modern culture. As a brief heads up, it’s not suggested to go out any buy chocolate to ferment into alcohol. More likely, it took years to perfect and the drinks early civilizations drank contained very little alcohol content.

 

4. Solid Chocolate Was Invented in Britain

The very first chocolate bar was created by Fry and Sons, a British shop, in 1847. The shop combined cocoa butter, chocolate liquor, and sugar to form a mostly solid type of treat.

 

5. Chocolate Can Lower Body Fat Levels

The general consensus is if you eat a lot of chocolate, you will gain weight. This may not be as accurate as once thought. A study completed at the University of Granada discovered that this so-called common knowledge may, in fact, be wrong. In 2013, scientists studied almost 1500 teens and took note of any changes to their waist circumference, body mass index, and body mass percentage. The teenagers who regularly consumed chocolate in their diet has lower levels of fat in their abdomens and lower total body fat. Before you trade in all your vegetables for chocolate remember, everything is moderation.

 

6. Chocolate Money?

When cacao beans were first used in ancient Aztec and Mayan civilizations, the beans were ground and mixed with hot water, much like coffee. Because they were such a major part of trade between the two cultures, the cacao beans were used as a baseline currency. A basket of cacao beans was used as a single trade unit at the market.

 

7. It Can Improve Your Memory

Scientists have been studying the effects of chocolate on humans for many years, trying to find potential health benefits. A study conducted at the Columbia University Medical Center may have proven that chocolate can improve your memory. In this experiment, participants were given a beverage that contains a high dose of cocoa flavanols. This is an antioxidant that is found naturally in chocolate. The participants were instructed to drink this beverage every day for three months while they had their memory tested. The group who consumed this drink had a 25% better performance than the control group. Brain scans that were taken during this study also found an increase in functionality of the part of the brain that helps new memories to form.

 

8. The First Chocolate Treat Was…

Hot chocolate! Cacao was originally brewed in both Aztec and Mexican culture. However, today’s hot chocolate is entirely different from the historic beverage. Back in the day, it was very bitter and was often only used for special occasions and ceremonies like weddings.

 

9. Chocolate Has a Unique Melting Point

It is the only edible substance with a melting point of 93 degrees Fahrenheit. This is just below human body temperature, which is why it melts so easily in your mouth and in your hands. However, scientists have invented a chocolate that does not melt. In 2012, the Cadbury company announced that it has discovered a way to produce chocolate to be more durable. Their chocolate can withstand higher temperatures without melting by using more finely ground sugar. This also reduces the overall fat content of the chocolate bar.

 

10. There are Many Chocolate-Related Holidays

It is more than just Halloween and Valentine’s Day, there are a number of holidays devoted only to chocolate. July 7th is known as Chocolate Day. This is to celebrate the day in 1550 when chocolate was first brought to Europe. Though some dispute the exact date of this momentous occurrence, there is still plenty of reason to celebrate. There is also the July 28th celebration of National Milk Chocolate Day, International Chocolate Day on September 13th, and on November 7th, National Bittersweet Chocolate With Almonds Day. We hope you enjoyed these chocolate fun facts!

 

 

Source: Wikipedia - Chocolate  |  Facts About Chocolate

Edited March 17, 2022 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - POPSICLES

Did you know... that an ice pop is a liquid-based frozen snack on a stick. Unlike ice cream or sorbet, which are whipped while freezing to prevent ice crystal formation, an ice pop is "quiescently" frozen—frozen while at rest—and becomes a solid block of ice. The stick is used as a handle to hold it. Without a stick, the frozen product would be a freezie. (Wikipedia)

 

Super Fun Facts about Popsicles
Posted by Superberries Team  |  May 28, 2021

Across much of the country, the warm weather has arrived. It won’t be long before the heat has us all longing for swimming pools and icy-cold drinks. This summer, you can cool off with the all-American popsicle, one of the most iconic and versatile summer treats. No matter what your taste, there is a popsicle for you, or you can create one. Here are seven fun facts about popsicles and ways that you and your family can enjoy them this summer.

 

1. Who Invented the Popsicle?

The popsicle was invented accidentally in 1905 by 11-year-old Frank Epperson. Epperson lived in San Francisco, and the story goes that he was stirring up a flavored beverage from powdered mix and water, and he absent-mindedly left it on his porch with the stirring stick in it. Overnight, it froze, creating the first recorded popsicle. What a lucky mistake!

 

2. First Popsicle Called the Eppsicle

In 1923, he patented his invention as “frozen ice on a stick” and initially called them Eppsicles, but his children renamed them Popsicles. Unilever bought the product from him after just a few years, and that company still owns the name brand, though “popsicle” has become a generic term for those delicious frozen treats.

 

3. There Were 7 Original Flavors

The original 7 popsicle flavors are banana, cherry, grape, lemon, orange, root beer, and watermelon. There are now more than 25 flavors of Popsicles, but cherry continues to be the stand-out favorite flavor out of the more than 2 billion Popsicle ice pops sold per year.

 

4. Popsicles Around the World

The true generic term for a popsicle is an “ice pop,” but they have a variety of names around the world. In the U.S. and Canada, the term “popsicle” is most common, but in the U.S., they are sometimes called “freezer pops.” In the southwestern U.S. and Mexico, you will hear the term “paleta.” They are also called “ice lollies” in the U.K., “ice pops” in the U.K., Ireland, Indian, and South African, “icy poles” in Australia, “ice blocks” in New Zealand, and “ice drops” in the Philippines.

 

5. Favorite Frozen Treats

Epperson’s original product inspired the creation of fudgesicles, creamsicles, and other such delicious concoctions. Now, you can find everything from simple fruit-inspired popsicles to complex frozen treats to frozen adult beverages in the style of popsicles. Check out some of the thousands of recipes online to inspire your own creations such as chai popsicles, margarita popsicles, pickle juice popsicles, and even pea popsicles. That’s one way to get kids to eat their vegetables.

 

6. The Popsicle Craze

Popsicle molds and accessories come in a variety of shapes and sizes to fulfill your popsicle-making needs. Making your own frozen treats at home allows you to control the amount of sugar in each popsicle as well as to allow you to experiment with your favorite combinations of flavors and add-ins to turn a simple childhood treat into something elegant. If you are a fan of the ice pops that come in a plastic tube, you can buy zip-top disposable bags made just for at-home ice pop creations. Some companies even make specialty molds in the shapes of dinosaurs, zombies, monsters, and more, which are sure to make the children in your life happy.

 

7. SuperFood Popsicles 

Superberries Aronia berries are the perfect ingredient for your at-home popsicle-making experiments. Their bright color make them eye-catching and their bold flavor complements many of the sweeter fruits and berries you might pair with them. They are so jam-packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that you can feel confident you are providing a healthy snack for your family. Try some of these recipes or let them inspire your own creations.

 

7 Super Cool Aronia Berry Treats from Superberries

 

Summer is the perfect time to kick back, relax, and enjoy a treat that will remind you of your childhood summers. If you have children at home, creating popsicle recipes and making them together is an optimal bonding activity, and, unlike some treats, they can be naturally healthy as well as delicious. And, unlike baked goods, they won’t heat up your kitchen while you make them. So, put your creativity in gear this summer and try your hand at some popsicles. Your family and your taste buds will thank you.

 

Source: Wikipedia - Ice Pop  |  Brief Facts About Popsicles

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - SAILING STONES

Did you know..... that sailing stones are part of the geological phenomenon in which rocks move and inscribe long tracks along a smooth valley floor without animal intervention. The movement of the rocks occurs when large sheets of ice a few millimeters thick and floating in an ephemeral winter pond break up on sunny days. Frozen during cold winter nights, these thin, floating ice panels are driven by wind and shove rocks at speeds up to 5 meters per minute. Trails of sliding rocks have been observed and studied in various locations, including Little Bonnie Claire Playa, in Nevada, and most famously at Racetrack Playa, Death Valley National Park, California, where the number and length of tracks are notable. (Wikipedia)

 

 

Tupperware, Ice, and a Rock Named Karen: Unbelievable Facts About Sailing Stones

by Kellen Perry

 

What are sailing stones? Maybe you’ve seen galleries of these things online over the years: mysterious stones in Death Valley with long trails behind them, moved hundreds of feet, it appears, by unexplainable forces. How can a 200-pound stone move like that? Wind? Telekinesis? Aliens? Scientists have studied them since at least the 1940s, and in 2013, they finally made a breakthrough discovery: they actually saw them move, thanks to GPS tracking, time-lapse photography, and a whole lot of luck. So how do sailing stones form? Here’s the big reveal: “Wind-driven ice that forms and then breaks up under certain conditions.” Super-rare “ice rafts,” basically, move the stones every decade or so, but only if the weather conditions are perfect. That might not sound like a very sexy explanation, but the science behind it is actually pretty amazing. Read on for more fascinating sailing stone facts.

 

NASA Used Tupperware to Figure Them Out

A breakthrough study of the so-called “sailing stones” involved something you—and definitely your grandmother—have in the kitchen: Tupperware. NASA scientist Ralph Lorenz told The Smithsonian Magazine he used sand, a rock, and some water in a large Tupperware container to conduct an experiment that helped him and his team discover the model for how the stones “sail” at Racetrack Playa in Death Valley. He created a thin slab of ice-covered sand in a freezer with a small rock sticking out of it. By gently blowing on the ice, the rock is floated out of the mud, leaving a little trail in its wake.

 

Researchers Gave Them Women's Names in the 1960s

Starting in 1968, researchers decided to assign the stone women’s names to help track them. Karen, for example, is a 700-pound stone. Hortense is pretty speedy: she moved 820 feet one winter. Other names include Ossie, Bessie, Bep, Alanis, Layla, Goldy, and Xeino. The scientists also tagged the stones using washable ink.

 

People Try to Steal Them, for Some Reason

A 2013 Los Angeles Times report shows that Death Valley National Park officials actually had to investigate the theft of “several” sailing stones at Racetrack Playa. A park ranger told Smithsonian Magazine that he has a guess at a possible motive: “I don't know whether people think they're ‘magic rocks,’” he said. “But of course, as soon as you remove them from the playa, all ‘magic’ is lost.” A park spokesman agrees that “outside of the Racetrack, these marvelous rocks have no value.” The stones are, after all, simply caused by erosion from the surrounding mountains.

 

Conditions Have to Be Perfect for Them to 'Sail'

 

 

The researchers that eventually discovered how the “sailing stones” move were definitely in the right place at the right time. As The Verge puts it, “conditions need to be perfect” to catch the stones in action. This includes rain (in Death Valley!) combined with below-freezing temperatures (in Death Valley!), followed by a warm-up to melt the ice. Oh yeah: there also needs to be wind to push and break the ice. Fortunately for the researchers, a “freak storm” struck at the right time.

 

They Could Help Us Understand Saturn's Moon, Titan

The most famous “home” of the sailing stones is the Racetrack Playa at Death Valley National Park, the conditions of which actually resemble Ontario Lacus, a hydrocarbon lake on Titan, one of Saturn’s moons. The biggest difference at the Playa on Earth is water instead of liquid hydrocarbons, but there’s still plenty to learn by studying the two areas in tandem. Brian K. Jackson, of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, tells Phys.org that the sailing stone phenomenon—and other discoveries in Death Valley—helps scientists to better understand conditions on Titan, or even Mars.

 

They 'Sail' at Mid-Day Under Pleasant Conditions

Previous theories about the “sailing stones” required hurricane-force winds or other extreme conditions to explain how the stones move, but it turns out that movement occurs at mid-day, in the sun, when the thin ice sheets are melting. As the research team that made the discovery put it, “movement occurred on sunny, clear days, following nights of sub-freezing temperatures” when “steady light winds and morning sun caused floating ice to break-up near mid-day.” This is a huge contrast to the previous “wind theory” that said powerful winds—“about as fast as a NASCAR race car”—were causing the stones to sail.

 

You Probably Won't Ever See Them in Motion

 

There’s a slim chance that tourists have actually witnessed the stones “sailing,” but it’s almost certain that they didn’t know it. The conditions have to be just right to actually capture the stones in action, and even then, time-lapse photography is necessary. They’re just that slow (“about 15 feet per minute”). Another issue, in Death Valley’s austere environment, is having a point of reference. When researchers finally managed to catch a “sailing stone” in action, it was partly thanks to its proximity to other rocks that weren’t moving at all.

 

Early Studies of Them Involved 'Wind' from a Plane's Propeller

Sometimes, you have to work with what you’ve got, right? In the early days of studying the “sailing stone” phenomenon, wind was considered to be the leading cause. In 1953, researchers actually created a little artificial storm on Racetrack Playa using “the wash of an aircraft’s propeller,” meaning they literally tried to blow the stones around with a propeller. This early work didn’t crack the case, but it did help later scientists to understand how wind contributed to the phenomenon.

 

Researchers Used Fake Stones to Learn About the Real Ones

The National Park Service wouldn’t allow the researchers that eventually figured out what caused the “sailing stone” phenomenon to attach GPS devices to the actual stones, so they had to get creative. They brought it outside rocks so they could do whatever they wanted with them. The team brought in 15 “fake” rocks similar to those on the playa and embedded GPS gadgets inside them. Specifically, the rocks were “limestone blocks” from a “Permian-aged” formation (that’s 299 to 251 million years ago!) in Darwin Canyon, CA. Interestingly, the GPS devices only activated when the stones moved away from a “magnetic trigger” buried underneath them. Science!

 

A 700-Pound Sailing Stone Was Lost for Two Years

 

How do you lose a 700-lb. stone named Karen? Especially when Karen has a 570-foot-long dirt track behind her? That’s what happened to researchers studying the stones around 1994. An unusually wet winter is the likeliest explanation, considering what scientists now know about the “sailing stone” phenomenon. A geologist named Paul Messina found Karen “far north” of her last known location in 1996. When he told one of the 1960s-era researchers the good news, the reaction was priceless: “When I told him I had positively identified several of his original rocks, his reaction was a little like one would expect from a man who was just told I found his children.”

 

Sometimes They Don't Move For a Decade

Most of the research into the “sailing stones” was done when the rocks were stagnant, as Dr. Richard Norris told The New York Times in 2014. “What you see 99 percent of the time you’re out there are these fossilized trails,” he said. “Everything has just stopped and gone into hibernation.” When Norris and his team rigged “fake” rocks with GPS devices in December 2013, they weren’t expecting to actually see anything for a long time, considering that the rocks move “at most once every decade.” That’s what makes their discovery all the more remarkable: they were present for a once-in-a-decade phenomenon.

 

Getting to Them Will Wreak Havoc on Your Car

If you’re fascinated by the phenomenon of the “sailing stones” of Racetrack Playa, know that getting to the playa to see them in action is no easy feat. Researcher Ralph Lorenz, for example, says in a “dozen trips” to do his work on the rocks, he had “five flat tires and two busted shock absorbers.” To see the famous stones, you have to climb a 26-mile rocky road to 3,600 feet above sea level. Lorenz says the playa itself, in contrast, is “staggeringly flat.” It’s so flat that “a puddle of water can be pushed from one side to the other by the wind.”

 

 

Source: Wikipedia - Sailing Stones  |  Facts About Sailing Stones

Edited March 17, 2022 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - CERAMICS

Did you know... that a ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain, and brick. (Wikipedia)

 

Interesting facts about ceramics

by Admin  |  November 2019

• Ceramics are classified as inorganic and nonmetallic materials that are essential to our daily lifestyle.
• Common examples are earthenware, porcelain, and brick.
• Ceramics are generally made by taking mixtures of clay, earthen elements, powders, and water and shaping them into desired forms. Once the ceramic has been shaped, it is fired in a high temperature oven known as a kiln. Often, ceramics are covered in decorative, waterproof, paint-like substances known as glaze.

 

• The word “ceramic” comes from the Greek word κεραμικός (keramikos), “of pottery” or “for pottery”, from κέραμος (keramos), “potter’s clay, tile, pottery.”
• The earliest known mention of the root “ceram-“ is the Mycenaean Greek ke-ra-me-we, “workers of ceramics.”
• The word “ceramic” may be used as an adjective to describe a material, product or process, or it may be used as a noun, either singular, or, more commonly, as the plural noun “ceramics.”

 

• As practical materials, ceramics have a history almost as old as the human race. Traditional ceramic products, made from common, naturally occurring minerals such as clay and sand, have long been the object of the potter, the brickmaker, and the glazier.
• The oldest known ceramic artifact is dated as early as 28,000 BC, during the late Paleolithic period. It is a statuette of a woman, named the Venus of Dolní Věstonice, from a small prehistoric settlement near Brno, in the Czech Republic.
• The first examples of pottery appeared in Eastern Asia several thousand years later. In the Xianrendong cave in China, fragments of pots dated to 18,000-17,000 BC have been found.

• It is believed that from China the use of pottery successively spread to Japan and the Russian Far East region where archeologists have found shards of ceramic artifacts dating to 14,000 BC.
• One of the most important breakthroughs in the production of ceramics was the invention of the wheel, in 3,500 BC. The wheel allowed for the utilization of the wheel-forming technique to produce ceramic vessels with radial symmetry.
• Meanwhile, ceramic pottery evolved in its use of increasingly elaborated paintings, so that these objects eventually became genuine pieces of art.
• The Terracotta Army is a collection of terracotta (type of ceramic) sculptures depicting the armies of Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China. It is a form of funerary art buried with the emperor in 210–209 BC with the purpose of protecting the emperor in his afterlife.
•  

• Porcelain was invented during the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220 BC) at a place called Ch’ang-nan in the district of Fou-Iiang in China.
• During the Middle Ages, trade through the Silk Road allowed for the introduction and diffusion of porcelain throughout Islamic countries first and later in Europe.
• The Industrial Revolution of the 18th and 19th centuries saw rapid improvements in the processing of ceramics, and the 20th century saw a growth in the scientific understanding of these materials.

 

 

• The modern ceramic materials, which are classified as advanced ceramics bear little resemblance to their origins. They offer unique and amazingly powerful physical, thermal and electrical properties that have opened up a whole new world of development opportunities for manufacturers in a wide range of industries.
• Advanced ceramics are used by the aerospace, automotive, defense, environmental, fiber-optic, and medical technologies. They are also used in cellular phones and personal computers. Each of NASA’s space shuttles has a coating of roughly 34,000 ceramic tiles, which protect it from the searing heat (up to 2,300 °F) produced during reentry into the atmosphere. Thus, advanced ceramics are an integral part of the modern technological revolution.
• Bioceramics are ceramic materials specially developed for use as medical and dental implants. They are usually used to replace hard tissue in the body like bone and teeth.

Source: Wikipedia - Ceramic  |  Facts About Ceramics
 

Edited March 13, 2022 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - CELEBRITY

 

Did you know... that celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports or the entertainment industry, their position as a political figure, or even from their connection to another celebrity. 'Celebrity' usually implies a favorable public image, as opposed to the neutrals 'famous' or 'notable', or the negatives 'infamous' and 'notorious'. (Wikipedia)

 

LESSER-KNOWN FACTS ABOUT FAMOUS PEOPLE
by RAJARSHI SAHA  |  March 2021

 

We love knowing little-known details about famous people. Magazines, social media, documentaries – all of these sources give us information concerning our favorite personalities. But sometimes, online news platforms can miss out on certain special facts from their life, possibly because of a lack of media attention. To uncover secrets, events, and facts about our favorite celebrities, scientists, and politicians, we need to dig a little deeper into history. You don’t have to go anywhere else for that because below we have listed 10 lesser-known facts about famous people that will surprise you.

 

1. In 1952, Charlie Chaplin was accused by the FBI and banned from the United States for speaking against capitalism, weapons, and attending meetings hosted by Soviet officials. In 1972, when Chaplin reluctantly returned to the US after 20 years to receive his honorary academy award, he received a 12-minute standing ovation at the gala event. 

The British-born actor was loved by millions of people around the globe. He was one of the most adored silent film stars among the American population. Despite his legendary career, and living in the states for forty years, the FBI had issues with him, which led to his ban from entering the United States. Since 1947, Chaplin had been on the FBI’s radar for attending some social gatherings organized by Soviet diplomats, and voicing his support towards better relations between the U.S and the Soviet Union. The FBI waited for five long years to take action against Chaplin. In 1952, while sailing to Europe to promote his movie, Limelight, the legendary actor got the news that the attorney general of the United States had banned his reentry to US soil. Furious with the decision of the attorney general, he never returned to the US until1972 to get his honorary Oscar award. During the event, Charlie Chaplin received the still longest standing ovation – 12 minutes straight. (source)

 

2. In 1902, former US President Theodore Roosevelt refused to shoot at a bear tied to a tree by the trip guide during a bear-hunting trip in Mississippi. The incident became popular, and to honor his act, a Brooklyn shopkeeper made a stuffed, fabric bear, and named it “Teddy’s Bear.” 

Ever wondered how the “teddy bear” got its cute name? Surprisingly, one of the most famous and loved toys among kids and adults got its name from an incident that includes former US President Theodore Roosevelt. The 26th US President went bear hunting in November 1902 in Mississippi. While he was looking for a bear, guides of the trip invited him to shoot at a bear tied to a tree. Roosevelt, an avid hunter, didn’t like the idea and refused to shoot at the helpless animal. He considered the act of killing a tied animal “unsportsmanlike.” The incident quickly became popular and inspired Clifford Berryman to present the event to people as a cartoon. A Brooklyn couple, Morris Michtom and his wife Rose were inspired by the cartoon, and decided to honor the head of the country by making a stuffed fabric bear with the name “Teddy’s bear.” The new toy displayed in Morris’s shop attracted lots of customers. Later, the Michtoms started their own Teddy bear company, after they received permission from the president to use his name for their toy. (source)

 

 

3. Stalin hired photo editors to remove the people from photographs who were killed by his order, to erase all the existing records of his enemies during the mid-1930s Soviet era.

Joseph Stalin, one of the most feared men of the 20th century, who was responsible for capturing large parts of Europe and for fueling international nuclear war, was one of the most notorious figures in history. The Soviet leader was known for not only making his enemy vanish in real life but made them disappear from pictures. When Stalin came to power in 1929, he started a campaign, known as the “Great Purge,” to wipe out his enemies in the party. Thousands of people died, and millions of others were banished between 1936 and 1938. To make sure there are no records available of his dead enemies, the brutal dictator told his photo retouchers to erase them all from the old photographs. The long list of edited photographs includes many of his party officials and trusted people who were in pictures standing next to him with smiling faces. It is believed that Stalin’s obsession with censoring images led to the emergence of mini-industry in the USSR. (source)

 

4. At a time when Saudi women weren’t allowed to drive, Queen Elizabeth II, who is an avid driver, took the then crown prince Abdullah on a ride around her Balmoral estate. She drove the royal Land Rover so fast that the prince implored his interpreter to tell her to slow down and concentrate on the road.

Queen Elizabeth’s life can be counted as one of the most fascinating ones among world leaders, and monarchs. She met numerous country leaders and celebrities during her lifetime. But, in one of her meetings with a foreign monarch, she proved that the queen of England can do anything. In 2003, when the former king of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah, visited the queen at Balmoral, the queen’s castle in Scotland, he was shown Queen Elizabeth’s driving skills. According to reports, after the Royals finished their lunch, the queen offered to take the monarch for a ride around the castle. Abdullah agreed and took the front seat of the Land Rover, which was ready for the historic ride. Moments later, Abdullah was surprised to see the queen of England in the driver’s seat. She turned on the vehicle and drove off in the Land Rover for the castle tour. As a king of a country where women are not even allowed to drive, that must have been a real shock for him. But motor vehicle terms were nothing new to the queen. In fact, she received abundant training as a mechanic during World War II. (source)

 

5. In 1996, Mother Teresa underwent an exorcism at a hospital bed before her death, after her friend Henry D’Souza, an archbishop, witnessed strange behavior by her and believed that she was possessed by the Devil.

In 2001, a shocking revelation was made in regards to Mother Teresa’s last days in the hospital. The Archbishop of Calcutta Henry D’Souza announced that the Noble Peace Prize-winning saint underwent an exorcism before she took her last breath. When Mr. D’Souza, a close friend of the nun, visited her in the hospital in 1996, he was worried about her weird behavior. Archbishop D’Souza mentioned, “She was restless. The doctor could not understand it. She was pulling all of her wires out.” He asked the priest Rosario Stroscio to come over to perform exorcism rituals on her, as he suspected that the then 87-year-old nun was possessed by the Devil. According to him, Mother Teresa had a peaceful sleep the night after the exorcism, which lasted for half an hour. “Mother was such a holy person she was more likely to be troubled by evil spirits, especially in her condition. It could happen that the Devil decided to worry her,” he mentioned. Mother Teresa’s exorcism was included in the 35,000-page report on her life and was handed over to the Vatican City. She was declared as “Saint Teresa of Calcutta” in 2016 by Pope John Paul. (1, 2)

 

6. In 2018, a study focusing on Leonardo da Vinci’s skills to understand depth in his paintings, reported that he might have “strabismus,” also known as “cross-eyes,” which probably helped him develop the special ability to capture a three-dimensional space on a flat canvas.

While trying to understand his art, researchers wondered if his cross-eyes helped him in any way with the paintings. In strabismus, commonly known as “cross-eyes,” the information in one eye is often suppressed when both eyes look in different directions. This gives the person a 2-D vision, which could give someone an extra edge in painting.  The research focused on six of his masterpieces which included portraits or self-portraits of the great painter. The goal of the study was to examine his pupils. Though the researchers could not confirm their hypothesis that Leonardo da Vinci had cross-eyes, the evidence strongly supported the theory. The study results suggested the great artist may have had strabismus, or in common terms “cross- eyes,” a condition in which a person’s eyes look in a different direction at the same time. Researchers finally concluded that da Vinci’s eye condition may have helped him to develop extraordinary abilities to capture space on the flat canvas. (source)

 

7. A handwritten letter by Albert Einstein to his sister, which was sold at an auction in 2018, revealed that the famous scientist knew about the threats of Nazi power ten years before they came into power. 

A handwritten letter by the world’s most famous physicist discovered in 2018, revealed that he was aware of the rising, anti-Jew campaign in Germany way before anyone else. In 1922, when Albert Einstein’s close friend, Walther Rathenau, a Jewish foreign minister, was killed by a right-wing group in Germany, the physicist was forced to disappear. Einstein did that after police informed him that a similar attack was planned against him. Nobody knew about Einstein when he vanished from Berlin in 1922.  During that period, the famous scientist wrote a letter to his younger sister, Maja, warning her about the thriving anti-Semitic ideas in the country and his concern about rising violence against Jewish people, ten years before Hitler conquered Germany. According to reports, the letter, without any return address, was possibly written by Einstein when he was hiding in the port city of Kiel before starting his Asia tour. The prominent scientist ultimately fled from Germany when the Nazis came to power in 1933 and lived in the USA until his death in1955. The letter by Einstein was sold for $39,350 at an auction in Jerusalem. (source)

 

8. Nelson Mandela and his political party, the African National Congress, were listed in the United State’s terror list in 1970 by Ronald Regan because of the party’s closeness with Soviet Moscow and to support the apartheid regime of South Africa.

Nelson Mandela, a man who was considered as a beacon of hope and freedom around the globe, was a terrorist in the eyes of the United States of America until 2008, along with his political party, the African National Congress. In the mid-80s, protests driven by the ANC party, once chaired by Nelson Mandela, were growing in South Africa against the apartheid regime for Mandela’s release from prison. On the other hand, the United States was having a cold war against the Soviet Union. The former US President Ronald Regan wanted to defeat the thriving communism and its influence in the world. The apartheid regime of South Africa and Regan shared the same visions against the Communist Party, and they both collaborated during the Cold War to suppress Soviet influence in the region. Sadly, the fear of communism led the Regan administration to back up the apartheid regime’s policies and stopped their much-needed support towards the ANC party, who, according to reports, had a friendly attitude towards the communist regime in Moscow.

Finally, In 1970, the United States followed the regime in South Africa and listed the ANC as a terrorist organization. As the Noble Peace Prize winner was part of the party, he needed special permission from the US State Department to enter the country. (source)

 

9. Kim Jong-il ordered the kidnapping of South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee and movie director Shin Jeong-gyun in 1978 in order to produce films for him as he wanted international recognition for North Korean movies.

The former Supreme Leader of North Korea is known for taking credit for many things in his life apart from his ruthless dictatorship from claiming himself as the inventor of the hamburger to never needing a bowel movement. But very few people know that one actual thing he did was kidnapping an actress and a director. According to reports, Kim Jong-un’s father was obsessed with the film world, so much so that he kidnapped South Korean actress Choi Eun-hee and movie director Shin Jeong-gyun in 1978 to make cinemas for him. The North Korean leader who ruled from 1994-2011 sent his agents to Hong Kong to lure the famous South Korean actress with business offers when she was struggling to find work in the 70s. She was taken away by few North Korean agents upon her arrival in Hong Kong. After she reached North Korea, Kim-Jong-Il greeted her and thanked her for coming to the country, which was a bit bizarre as she was taken there forcefully. But, the late Kim still was not satisfied with the North Korean movies, and often used to complain about them. In a desperate attempt to bring North Korean Films on the International platform, abducted Choi’s husband-director, Shin, as well. Choi, along with her ex-husband, made 17 films during their three years’ stay in North Korea. (source)

 

10. After Madam Curie’s death in 1934, her radioactive belongings, including her notebooks, were kept inside lead-lined containers at Bibliotheque National in Paris. Those items are still highly radioactive today and will keep emitting radiation for thousands of years.

Marie Curie’s illustrious scientific career, with two Nobel Prizes, is an inspiration for millions of women around the globe who want to pursue science. But unfortunately, her greatest achievements became the cause of her death. The Polish-French physicist was exposed to the radioactive elements radium and polonium for a long time, which she discovered along with her French husband, Pierre Curie, in 1898. Eventually, she died in 1934 because of aplastic anemia caused by the radiation. After Madam Curie’s demise, her belongings, which included her notebooks, are securely kept inside lead-lined containers at the Bibliothèque National in Paris, as they remain highly radioactive. The shocking thing is those items will keep emitting radioactive rays for thousands of years because the half-life of radium 266 is around 1,600 years. Visitors need to wear protective suits and sign a waiver form before they can have a glimpse of her books. Curie’s radioactive body was buried in a lead-lined coffin. (source)

 

 

Source: Wikipedia - Celebrity  |  Famous People Facts

Edited March 17, 2022 by DarkRavie