What are the Dead Sea Scrolls? They are a series of ancient Jewish manuscripts discovered between 1946 and 1956 on the northern shore of the Dead Sea. The first of the scrolls were found in 1946 by Bedouin shepherds. They were discovered in a cave near to the Dead Sea. The story is that a […]
#638 What are the Dead Sea Scrolls? Read More »
How does cacao become chocolate? Through fermentation, drying, roasting, grinding, and adding milk and sugar. Cacao beans grow on a cacao tree, which is native to the Amazon basin in South America. The tree is called “Theobroma cacao.” “Theobroma” means “food of the gods” in Greek and “cacao” is the Spanish form of “kakaw” and
#637 How does cacao become chocolate? Read More »
What is the difference between socialism and communism? They are sometimes confused as being the same thing, but socialism and communism have some key differences. In socialism, all citizens own and share equally in all resources and wealth. In communism, all property and economic resources are owned by the state, which is entrusted to share
#636 What is the difference between socialism and communism? Read More »
Why do some trees make rubber? It protects the trees against pests and helps them heal when they are injured. Rubber is not what comes out of the tree or plant. The liquid that is tapped out of the tree is called latex and it has to be refined before it can be used as
#635 Why do some trees make rubber? Read More »
Do the gulags still exist? Technically no, but actually yes. The gulag is not actually a place. We use the expression gulag to refer to a Russian prison, but it is really the name of the government agency that was in charge of the forced labor camps during the Soviet era. The word gulag is
#634 Do the gulags still exist? Read More »
What is botulism? Botulism is an illness caused by a toxin that the Clostridium botulinum bacteria produces. Clostridium botulinum is a very strong bacteria. They are usually found in the soil in spore form, but they grow very rapidly on the surface of fruit, vegetables, seafood, meat, and any kind of food. They like a
#633 What is botulism? Read More »
What is the difference between a castle, a fort, and a palace? A castle is a fortified building constructed for the nobility. A fort is just a fortified building. A palace is a large house built for royalty, or very wealthy people. Forts appeared long before castles. A fort is a fortified building and the
#632 What is the difference between a castle, a fort, and a palace? Read More »
When did people start using soap? In 2800 BC in Babylonia. Archaeologists have found soap-like materials in clay cylinders that have been dated to 2800 BC. The tablets are inscribed with “fats boiled with ashes”. Soap is first mentioned on a Sumerian clay tablet, which has a formula for how to make it. It says
#631 When did people start using soap? Read More »
Where did the Democratic and Republican parties come from? The come from one party called the Democratic-Republican Party, founded by Thomas Jefferson. Everyone that watches the news knows that America has two political parties: the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. They take turns being in charge. The Democratic Party is generally considered to be
#630 Where did the Democratic and Republican parties come from? Read More »
What is the immortal hydra? It is a tiny, freshwater creature that doesn’t appear to age. Hydra are very small invertebrates that live in freshwater ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers. They are about 10 mm long and have a tubular body. At one end of their body they have a mouth surrounded by twelve thin
#629 What is the immortal hydra? Read More »
