When did people start having lawns outside their houses? Probably from the early 16th century. The first use of the word “laune” is in 1540. We need to differentiate between lawn and garden here because people have been gardening for thousands of years. A garden has basically been a space in front of a dwelling […]
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What causes thunder? Thunder is caused because the air around a lightning bolt is superheated. Lightning is caused when there is an imbalance in the electrical charge within clouds. During a heavy storm, strong winds circulate through storm clouds. The wind picks up water droplets at the bottom and carries them to the top of
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Was there really going to be a black Taj Mahal? The idea of a black Taj Mahal to go with the white one is probably just a myth as there is no actual evidence for it. The Taj Mahal was built by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, and was finished in 1653. It is a
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How does wireless charging work? By sending power from a transmitter to a receiver. Wireless charging is known as inductive charging and it is very common these days. Many of us charge our phones by placing them on a magnetic wireless charging pad. But, how does wireless charging work? It uses something called inductive charging.
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Why are people left-handed or right-handed? Because of genetics and environment. There are four types of handedness. People can be right-handed, left-handed, right-handed for some tasks and left-handed for other tasks, and ambidextrous. The majority of the people in the world are right-handed. The number varies from country to country, but it is generally between
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Why can humans throw so fast? Because of several biological changes. To be able to throw, it is necessary to be able to grip the projectile, and then have the elasticity in the muscles to fire it. This rules out all animals that can’t grip a projectile. Some primates have the ability to throw, but
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Why are Quakers the reason we have fixed prices? Because Quakers believe in fairness. The Quaker religion began in Lancashire, England in the 1650s. George Fox, the son of a weaver, was fed up with the Church of England and the society that was going through large changes after the English Civil War. He started
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Why is the Gutenberg Bible special? Because it was the first mass-produced book made with movable type. The Gutenberg Bible is named for Johannes Gutenberg, who famously perfected movable type printing using interchangeable metal letters. Movable type means that all of the characters can be moved. Gutenberg used a set of about 290 characters. These
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When were pencils invented? The first pencil was invented in 1565. It is easy to think that something as simple as the pencil has been around for eons, but that is not actually true. Graphite was discovered in 1565, and the very first pencil was made very shortly after. Before pencils were invented, people used
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Why are katana blades curved? They are curved to make them more efficient at cutting. Katana are long, curved swords from Japan. Their name “katana” means one-sided blade. “Kata” means “side” and “na” means blade. Many swords are double-sided because it allows them to be more effective when thrust. They can also be used to
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