Geoffrey Chaucer was known as the Father of English Literature. This is obviously a topic that is only important to English speaking countries, but he was a significant force in the revitalization of English after the Norman invasion of England. Chaucer wasn’t the only writer that was operating at that time, but he was even […]
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What is racketeering? It is a criminal act that usually involves extortion or a scheme to extract illegal profits. Racketeering became a big thing on October 15, 1970, when the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act became law in the United States. You may have heard of it in a movie because it is shorted
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In the 1440s, Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press and changed the world. It is not very often where you can say that an invention caused such enormous ripples that without it, we wouldn’t be where we are today. The wheel seems an obvious example. The printing press made the spread of information, knowledge, discoveries,
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What is the difference between a slave and a serf? A slave is the property of the person who owns them while a serf is bound to the land they live and work on for generations. Civilizations have taken slaves for as long as one group of people has fought another group of people. It
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Why does the medical symbol have a snake and a staff on it? It is the Rod of Asclepius, an ancient symbol of medicine. If you have the misfortune to require an ambulance in the US, you will notice that it a) costs an awful lot, and b) has a six pointed blue star with
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Alexander Cumming invented the S-bend in 1775. Toilets have existed for thousands of years, but the S-band (now the U-bend) was an invention that helped transition to indoor toilets and helped to improve sanitation levels around the world. Early people used streams running near their settlements for a toilet. That is fine, so long as
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What is a crusade? It is a Catholic expedition called forth by the pope for various religious purposes. If it doesn’t have the pope’s blessing, it is not a crusade. The word “crusade” means a military expedition under the banner of the cross. The first crusades were in the 11th century and the word “crusade”
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Why are poppies a symbol of remembrance? Because of a poem by a Canadian doctor called John McCrae. The poem was called “In Flanders Fields”. And because of an American professor and humanitarian called Moina Michael. Before World War One, war dead were not really remembered, unless they were wealthy people. There were no memorials
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How big was a Megalodon? The largest ones could have been 20 meters long. Megalodon was a species of giant mackerel shark. Mackerel sharks have two dorsal fins, an anal fin, five gill slits, eyes without nictitating membranes, and a mouth that extends behind the eyes. Great white sharks are in this family. Megalodons lived
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When did people start writing music down? Music was first written down in the 6th century BC, but the current system we use began in the 11th century. There is no way of knowing when music itself started. It is very natural for us to sing and dance because they are merely extensions of talking
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