The peregrine falcon, earlier known as the ‘duck hawk’, is the fastest flying bird on the planet. With an average diving speed of 320 km/h during its hunting stoop, the bird becomes the fastest living creature in the world. The peregrine falcon holds the record for the maximum airspeed of 389 km/h. Barring extreme polar regions, high…
‘Plots come to me at such odd moments, when I am walking along the street, or examining a hat shop…suddenly a splendid idea comes into my head.’ – Agatha Christie, An Autobiography Agatha Christie is a name that never misses when it comes to detective novels. Most of us have grown up reading her mysteries. Regarded…
Every minute 750 ml of blood gets pumped through your brain, which is merely 15–20 per cent of blood flow from the heart. An adult brain requires about 20 per cent of the body’s oxygen. To meet this requirement, and other metabolic needs of the neurons, approximately 20 per cent of the blood flow is directed…
The word ‘limey’ refers to a British person, in general, and a British sailor, in particular. It originated in the 19th century and was a derogatory name for sailors in the Royal Navy. In the 17th and 18th centuries, British sailors who were at sea for more than a month often suffered from scurvy. Dr James Lind, a Scottish physician,…
It is believed that the name ‘Spain’, of the beautiful European country and the land of the famous La Tomatina festival, has its origins in the Phoenecian word hispanihad, which means ‘the land of rabbits’. Indeed the country has a huge population of rabbits.
Peter Henlein, a 16th-century locksmith and clockmaker from Nuremberg, Germany, is considered to be the architect of the first ‘watch’. Devices for reading time, like sundials, obelisks, and hourglasses were used to measure the passage of time since ancient ages. The credit for the first mechanical water clock goes to the Chinese genius Su Song, for…
