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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How did America build so many Liberty ships in World War 2? They could build so many because of the way the ships were built, new technologies, their infrastructure, and their resources. Liberty ships were cargo ships that were built by the United States during World War 2. They were originally designed by J. L.
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What is the Ides of March? It is the 74th day of the Roman calendar, which is March 15th. When we think about the Ides of March, we imagine that it is a cursed and dangerous day. In actual fact, ides was just a name for a day and there was nothing special about it.
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When was the first drone? The first real drone was built in 1917 to counter German bombers or to deliver bombs. Drones are technically known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and drone is more of a nickname. They became known as drones in 1946, but the name came from one of the first successful drones
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How did Israel end up where it is? The British government had the idea to create a Jewish homeland roughly where the Land of Israel used to be. To do that, they had to break up Palestine. The UN adopted the plan and Israel declared statehood on May 14th, 1948. The name “Israel” was chosen
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