The chemical lead was used by the Romans as lead rods to write on papyrus. These rods left a grey mark just like graphite. Hence, graphite was believed to be a type of lead. In 1564 a graphite deposit was discovered in England, which led to its widespread use for writing. The lead used in…
Tycho Brahe, a 16th century astronomer, lost the bridge of his nose in a duel with one of his friends over a mathematical computation. He wore a silver, gold and copper replacement nose for the rest of his life!
In his life, Walt Disney experienced a lot of failures. He was rejected by the Army, struggled to find work after World War I, and worked for newspapers and movie theatres. He also struggled to start his own business before finally becoming one of the most successful entertainment entrepreneurs in the world.
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, was a famous American writer and a humourist. He was born on November 30, 1835, when Halley’s Comet passed by the earth. He predicted that he would ‘go out with it’ and sure enough he passed away the next morning of April 21, after the Halley’s Comet passed…
StarCraft, developed by Blizzard Entertainment and released for Microsoft Windows in 1998, was the first computer game to be played in space. The game is about three species who fight for dominance. The mission specialist of the space shuttle mission STS-96, a StarCraft fan, took a CD of the game with him to space. After…
The place which has an 85-letter-long name is called Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapiki maungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu. It has longer versions of 92 and 105 letters too. It means: ‘The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land- swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his beloved brother.’ It is a hill…
