I learned this today. The idea that manslaughter is different to murder was introduced in Athens in 409 BC. This is a difficult question because the laws of different countries are extremely different and many different societies developed different laws at different times. Some of those laws and societies have disappeared and some of those […]
#244 When did the law of manslaughter start? Read More »
I learned this today. The Ottoman Empire ended due to revolt, general decline, and defeat in World War 1. The Ottoman Empire began in the 13th century. Osman I, a Turkish tribal leader, managed to conquer a few of the territories near to his own on the border of the Byzantine Empire. The name “Ottoman”
#243 Why did the Ottoman Empire end? Read More »
I learned this today. The creation of the term “pope” to mean the head of the Roman Catholic church started in the 11th century. The word “pope” comes from the Greek word pappas, meaning father. The pope is the head of the Roman Catholic church and is known as the Bishop of Rome or the
#238 Who was the first pope? Read More »
I learned this today. Rationing in the UK during World War 2 started in September 1939 and ended on July 4th, 1954. Rationing is not an idea that started in the Second World War. People have always rationed when food is scarce. Often, during battles, towns were besieged. The idea would be to starve the
#235 When did rationing in the UK end after World War 2? Read More »
I learned this today. Abraham Zapruder was a Russian born American clothing manufacturer who happened to be in the right place at the right time to film the John F Kennedy assassination. He was born in Kovel in 1905. It was a city that is now in Ukraine but was in the Russian Empire back
#232 Who was Zapruder? Read More »
I learned this today. 7 impressive buildings or monuments were chosen to be the seven wonders of the world because the Greeks believed the number seven represented perfection and plenty. The idea of Wonders of the World came into being in the 4th century BC. Before the Roman empire took over most of Europe, there
#230 Why were only seven wonders of the ancient world chosen? Read More »
I learned this today. The Sahara Desert has grown so big because the precession of the Earth’s axis as it rotates around the sun changes the location of the African monsoon. The Sahara Desert is 9.2 million square kilometers, which makes it bigger than every country except for Russia, Canada, China and the USA. The
#229 How did the Sahara Desert get so big? Read More »
I learned this today. The South Sea Bubble was a financial bubble that sprang up around the share trading of the South Sea Company (SSC) in the early 18th century. The South Sea Bubble wasn’t the first speculative bubble to happen. That honor goes to the Dutch Tulip Bubble of 1637. However, it was the
#228 What was the South Sea Bubble? Read More »
I learned this today. Different countries have different laws, but the first bankruptcy laws were created in 1542 in England. The word “bankruptcy” comes from the Italian banca rotta, which means “broken bench”. The story is that bankers used to do their business over a bench. If a banker defaulted on a loan
#226 When did bankruptcy laws start? Read More »
I learned this today. The Magna Carta promised the protection of church rights and the protection of the barons from King John and eventually became the basis for English common law. By extent, its concepts are also the basis for some American and Canadian laws as well. It was the first time the idea that
#223 What did the Magna Carta do? Read More »
