Historical
How matchlock weapons worked
In the centuries before the invention of the percussion cap, which came into use in the 1830s and 1840s, small arms had to be fired by the cumbersome (and often dangerous) means of igniting a primer charge of gunpowder in the weapon’s “pan”, which then ignited the main charge in the barrel. The earliest means of achieving this was the matchlock.
By John Welford5 years ago in FYI
President Lincoln
There is no reason for this story other than I stumbled on a small tidbit of information that I never knew- President Abraham Lincoln is enshrined in the Wrestling Hall of Fame. According to Historians, Abraham Lincoln has only one confirmed loss in nearly 300 wrestling matches. Bill Green, a store owner from New Salem, Illinois, once stated that "[Lincoln] can outrun, outlift, outwrestle and throw day any man in Sangamon Country." This statement came after he proved his worthiness by beating multiple opponents in just one day. Not only was he a fantastic wrestler, but it seems that he was a bit of a trash talker. It recorded that he once cried into a crowd of on-lookers- "I'm the big buck of this lick. If any of you want to try it, come on and whet your horns." President Lincoln now holds an "Outstanding American" honor in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
By Rose Loren Geer-Robbins5 years ago in FYI
Places associated with Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey, the “Nine Days Queen” had a very short life, being executed on 12th February 1554 at the age of 16. Her life was a sheltered one, in that she spent most of her childhood being educated and she did not travel much. The number of places that are associated with her, and which can be visited today, is therefore limited.
By John Welford5 years ago in FYI
The Prideful Color of Purple
Mystic piper that slides on through. The life of space swirls like a blender of a banana. smoothie. Working through life and making its struggle. The prideful color of purple bursts into amazement. For a time, the color purple combines the calm stability of blue and the fierce energy of red. The color purple is often associated with royalty, nobility, luxury, power, and ambition. Purple also represents meanings of wealth, extravagance, creativity, wisdom, dignity, grandeur, devotion, peace, pride, mystery, independence, and magic. With such variety the soul of the color can bring as much if not more inner peace within oneself.
By The Kind Quill5 years ago in FYI
Culturally Appropriate: Steal These Traditions to Improve Your Life
Christmas in Japan: when is appropriation merely appreciation? The world knows no greater evil than a White girl in a cheongsam-inspired prom dress or a non-Dutch person in Dutch braids (also known as Boxer braids and often worn by people who aren’t pugilists). I, too, have been the victim of cultural appropriation while in Japan during the holiday season, forced to endure “Christmas” sponge cakes smothered with strawberries, fried chicken vendors on every street corner, and what appeared to be the conflation of the good Colonel with Jolly Old Saint Nick. (Japanese people eat KFC to celebrate Christmas — go figure!)
By Angela Volkov5 years ago in FYI
Jean-Henri Riesener, cabinet-maker to French kings
Jean-Henri Riesener was one of the finest cabinet-makers of his age, which, unfortunately for him, coincided with the French Revolution. The opulence that he played a major role in creating was fine for the court of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, but when his aristocratic customers lost their heads, or at least their fortunes, his own fortune went downhill with theirs and he eventually died in poverty.
By John Welford5 years ago in FYI
LANDS AND PEOPLES:
KAZAKHS traditionally lived as nomads. To this day, some Kazakh herders move their animals to different pastures according to the season. They spend the summer in cooler highland grazing lands. Then, as the snowy winter approaches, they bring their flocks down to the warmer lowlands. A traditional Kazakh meal should always include meat and is usually not spicy. Among Kazakhs’ favorite drinks are koumiss, which is made from mare’s milk and is said to provide many health benefits, and rich, slightly sour shubat, made from camel’s milk. The yurt—the traditional portable house of nomads—has become a symbol of man living in harmony with nature. Shepherds still favor the yurt, and urban Kazakhs often use them for special events. Yurts also serve as comfortable tourist accommodations. The interior of a yurt can be a showplace for Kazakh women’s diverse embroidering, weaving, and carpet-making skills. A yurt is a round, tentlike structure that has decorative reed mats lining its walls. Its outer layers are sheets of felt made from sheep’s wool. Yurts are lightweight and easy to assemble, yet sturdy and comfortable during hot summers and cold winters. The Kirghiz call the yurt a gray house; the Kazakhs, a felt house; and the Mongolians, a ger, meaning “home.” Yurts may be grayish-brown or bright white, depending on the color of the wool used. Kirghiz and Kazakh yurts are often decorated with local designs of wool dyed in bright colors that depict a ram’s horn. In the past, beautiful blankets and felt floor coverings were a reflection of a family’s wealth and prestige.
By Raquel Recinos5 years ago in FYI
Titanic Secrets
1.30 seconds to respond Post Frederick Fleet included no optics inside the stage , depending just on his visual perception to recognize any deterrents. At the point when he called the scaffold to declare "Icy mass, directly ahead!," First Officer William Murdoch faltered 30 seconds prior to providing the request "hard a starboard," a 2011 investigation of the day's occasions found. There was around brief's time between Fleet's notice and impact, and his deferral demonstrated deadly to the boat.
By Sakthi murugan5 years ago in FYI
