Why do we say, “pass the bar”? The bar was a physical bar that separated a courtroom between the judges, barristers, and participants, from the spectators and average people. In all English countries, and in some other countries, to become a member of the law profession a person needs to pass the bar exam before […]
#846 Why do we say, “pass the bar”? Read More »
What color is the sea? It is technically blue, but that depends on the depth and what particles are in the water. The sky is blue because the blue light wavelengths are scattered by molecules in the air. This is not why the ocean is blue. Generally the sea is blue because water absorbs red
#844 What color is the sea? Read More »
Why does an atomic bomb make a mushroom cloud? Because of the speed of the blast and the heat from the fireball. We have all seen images of nuclear bombs being detonated and they always have a very distinctive cloud that is in the shape of a mushroom. These mushroom clouds can be tens of
#842 Why does an atomic bomb make a mushroom cloud? Read More »
When were photographs first used in newspapers? The first photograph was published in a newspaper in 1848, but they didn’t become common for a long time after that. Depending on the type of paper, modern newspapers have a lot of photographs. The percentage and the size of the photographs may vary depending on whether the
#841 When were photographs first used in newspapers? Read More »
Why is there such a difference between Haiti and the Dominican Republic? There are several reasons. Some of them are the climate, their history, their languages, their population densities, and their governments. Haiti and the Dominican Republic are both on the island of Hispaniola, which is an island between Puerto Rico, Jamaica and Cuba. It
#839 Why is there such a difference between Haiti and the Dominican Republic? Read More »
When did daylight savings time start? It started in Canada in 1908. Daylight savings time is the practice of putting the clocks forward by one hour in the summer and back in the winter. The reason for this is to give people more sunlight throughout the year as the length of the day changes with
#838 When did daylight savings time start? Read More »
Are any plastics biodegradable? Some are, but most aren’t. It depends on what they are made from and how they are made. Most natural materials biodegrade once they are dead. Inside the cells of the dead material are polymers, which are chains of small molecules strung together. Bacteria and other organisms break down the cell
#836 Are any plastics biodegradable? Read More »
What is peat? Peat is a layer of partly decomposed organic matter on the surface of a soil. It has a high water content and a low oxygen content. Accumulations of peat are called peatlands and they are found in 180 countries worldwide, in different quantities. The highest concentrations are in northern Europe, northern
#835 What is peat? Read More »
What is your risk of dying every year? It depends on your gender, age, race, where you live, and so many other factors, but it is possible to make a rough estimate of your chances of dying at every age. A person’s statistical risk of dying at every age is useful knowledge for governments, the
#834 What is your risk of dying every year? Read More »
When we think about important figures in the history of aviation, Orville and Wilbur Wright obviously spring to mind. However, they probably wouldn’t have been able to fly without the work of Otto Lilienthal, a German aviator, who was known as the flying man. Lilienthal wasn’t the first person to build heavier than air flying
#833 Otto Lilienthal – the first successful aviator Read More »
