Category: Cartography

The Lush Forests of Australia and Antarctica During the Mesozoic Period and the Reason Antarctica Became Cold

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Both Australia and Antarctica were once fused together as part of the supercontinent Gondwana, neither being an arid and hot landscape nor a cold desert but instead a vast and lush forest, larger than the Amazon Rainforest, spanning thousands of kilometers in size. The reason Antarctica is no longer temperate and forested is because in contrast to most shorelines which disrupt and disperse ocean currents upon contact with the coastline, the waters around Antarctica encircle it unobstructed, forming the Antarctic Circumpolar Current after the Drake Passage opened 34,000,000 (34 million) years ago. Because there is no land to stop this flow of water, it forces the current to become stronger and deeper over time. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current cut the continent of Antarctica off from the warm waters of the north, a thermal isolation further exacerbated by decreasing carbon dioxide levels over millions of years. In a mere 1,000,000 (1 million) years during a rapid cooling phase, although the full shift took tens of millions of years to complete, Antarctica transitioned from an appearance which resembled Australia during its wetter, forested period of the Cenozoic Era, to become a frozen tundra, virtually uninhabitable by humans until the mid 20th century, due to its subzero temperatures which consistently remain far below any other location upon Earth, as well as being locked in by vast ice sheets which formed 14,000,000 (14 million) years ago

The First Human Beings to Migrate to North America

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The first people to arrive in North America are suspected to have arrived 15,800 years ago. Sea levels were much lower because of polar ice caps being frozen, which allowed modern day Siberia and Alaska, United States of America, to be connected. How migration occurred is still debated, with some scholars hypothesizing that walking whilst hunting large mammals was the most likely way, while others propose that the indigenous people of North America hunted along the shoreline using maritime skill sets and travel vehicles. 10,000 years ago, the ice sheets receded northbound allowing for civilizations to domesticate northern British Columbia, Canada

The Insect Used to Produce Ink Throughout History

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The andricus kollari wasp in particular has played a significant role throughout human history as it is one of the main ingredients of ink. Crushed andricus kollari wasp galls are crushed and mixed with water, then added to crushed iron sulphate and gum Arabic to produce a cost effective and extremely long lasting ink. This specific type of ink is the most important ink used during the last 1000 years of European and subsequently western history as its indelible and essentially ever lasting whether just written or having been dried for hundreds of years. This incredible ink was used to write the Magna Carta and the American Declaration of Independence, has brought forth the recorded musical genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Johann Sebastian Bach, was used to produce the artwork of Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn and Leonardo da Vinci, and was utilized to produce the theories of Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin

Italian Explorer Christopher Columbus Leveraging Astronomy to Manipulate the Indigenous Taíno of Jamaica

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During Italian explorer Christopher Columbus’ 4th voyage and while still stationed upon the island of Jamaica in the Caribbean, Columbus’ crew and flotilla did not have the supplies necessary to travel back to Europe. Columbus appealed to the indigenous Taíno people of the island and requested they share their resources. The Taíno informed Columbus that they had only sourced enough supplies to see themselves through the season and that they did not have access to a surplus. Columbus responded by telling this group that if they did not comply, he would summon divine forces and cause the moon to disappear within 1 weeks time; the key to this being that Columbus understood that a total lunar eclipse was scheduled to occur within the coming week. The Taíno were skeptical of this claim initially, but when a total lunar eclipse occurred as predicted, it caused this group to believe that Columbus held a seat beside the hand of God. Unsurprisingly, Columbus was almost immediately provided all of the material he desired to fund his return voyage to Europe. During the middle of the total lunar eclipse, Columbus stated that his god, the Christian God, would now reverse the destruction of the moon and return the moon to its former position as the Taíno had complied with his crews demands

The Toxicity of Tanneries During the French Revolution

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One of the largest contributors to pollution during the French Revolution was the work of tanneries, which converted what is essentially animal skin, into leather goods. First the hide was immersed in an alkaline lime and water solution for up to 3 weeks, then it was brought out and shaved for both the hair on one side of the hide and the dissolved fat referred to as “sinew” on the other side. Once this process had been complete, dog and bird feces were mixed with hot water and human urine to create a bacterial cocktail which would work together to soften the hide and help it absorb dye. All of these components were dumped into local water sources once they had served their purpose which made living around them nearly impossible, with many people developing ulcerative lesions upon their throats when around these ingredients for extended periods of time

The Center of the World and the Reason It Will Not Exist During the 22nd Century

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Kiribati (pronounced “kir-ah-bas”) in the Pacific Ocean is in the center of the world because it is the only country which is in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere as well as the east and the west of the International Date Line; no other country has that designation. Kiribati is located upon the equator, which historically has been devoid of cyclones, however global weather patterns are shifting due to climate change and the equatorial zone is now subject to the path of cyclones. Climate predictions have definitively and conclusively demonstrated that Kiribati will be completely submerged beneath the ocean by the end of the 21st century

The Advent of Morse Code and the First Morse Code Message Sent

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The telegraph was invented in 1836, and within 8 years, the first Morse code message was sent which occurred on May 24, 1844 when Samuel Morse sent the first ever message which stated “what hath God wrought!”

The First Person to Theorize How Stars are Situated Within the Universe

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Prior to the 16th century, it was believed that the Earth was the center of the universe with a belt of stars which rotated around it, exactly the same way in which planets orbit the central star of any solar system. These stars were believed to be fixed in their position as the constellations observed upon Earth do not alter greatly in their position or intensity in terms of what the human eye can perceive. Thomas Digges was the first person to propose that the stars are placed at different distances and in different positions, not in a ring of stars which stayed fixated, but rather in an infinite universe as distant points of light. Digges built upon the work of Nicolaus Copernicus by changing Copernicus’ original visual sketch of the planets and their orbital paths in that he removed the stellarum fixarum meaning “fixed stars” in Latin, and built a model in which stars were completely different in their distance relative to the Earth, with brightness controlled by how far or close a particular star was in proximity

The Threats Facing the State of Israel

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Israel is under constant threat from Hamas in Gaza, Israel, by Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon, by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria in both Iraq and Syria, by the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, by Iran, and by Saudi Arabia, with even Türkiye becoming an unstable ally as the Türkish state rescinds upon its secular legacy as the 21st century proceeds onward, embracing Islam and neo-Ottoman foreign policy

The Reason Icebergs Sink Ships

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The reason that an iceberg is able to cut into the side hull of a ship (e.g. Titanic etc.) or any other marine vessel is dual fold. The first reason is because steel becomes more brittle, the colder it gets. Steel created during the early 20th century was not tempered as steel is during the modern day. The second reason is because of inertia, weight, and force. An iceberg can slash through steel the same way a tree can rip through a vehicle that has hit it. An iceberg is a large, immovable object, so whether the hull is comprised of wood or titanium, the ice will always win out as it has more inertia and mass. To provide a frame of reference, bone is incredibly strong and tensile, however if a brick which is harmless while at rest, slams down from a height above the arm, the force it imparts is enough to break said bone