Category: History

The Advent and Evolution of Noodles Within China

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The oldest known noodles ever discovered were found in China and date back 4000 years, discovered virtually fully preserved in a sealed bowl buried beneath sediment. These noodles were not made of wheat but rather from millet, which provides insight into early culinary traditions of the ancient world. These millet based noodles were distinct from future varieties which relied upon wheat, reflecting the grains available in ancient China during the period. This discovery demonstrates the early noodle making techniques which became refined over the coming centuries. By 400 B.C., noodles existed across Asia, likely produced by mixing flour and water into a dough. In comparison to the noodles from 400 B.C., which were likely produced using wheat or other grains and kneaded into dough, the 4000 year old noodles appeared to have been hand pulled and stretched into thin strands rather than being cut. By 400 B.C., more structured noodle cutting methods had emerged, allowing for different regional styles and preparations of noodles to develop (e.g. Lamian which is a hand pulled noodle still popular during the modern day, Dao Xiao Mian which is shaved directly from a block of dough, Biang Biang Mian which is known for its wide belt like shape etc.). These discoveries highlight not only the ingenuity of early civilizations but also the evolution of food production and technologies to produce said food. The shift from millet based noodles to flour based dough reflects advancements in milling, agricultural practices, and culinary techniques, demonstrating how food has continuously adapted over time to the resources available to local populations

The Architecture Which is Most Resilient to Earthquakes

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During the Chilean earthquake of 2010, very short buildings (e.g. 3+ stories) and very tall buildings (e.g. 25+ stories) were virtually unaffected, with the bulk of damage pertaining to buildings which were 10 – 20 stories high. The reason why shorter and taller buildings are able to withstand earthquakes with greater chances of survival is because earthquakes have natural rhythms which are frequencies. Crustal earthquakes have a high frequency like choppy water, and thus shorter and taller buildings are not affected. Subduction earthquakes move much slower in their rhythm and frequency with approximately 1 swell/cycle per 1 second, which causes sizeable damage to mid sized buildings. 10 – 20 story buildings tend to vibrate at 1 swell/cycle per second which causes a dangerous synchronicity in the vibrato as the rocking becomes more intense in its amplification with each additional second or swell/cycle, until the earthquake stops or the building collapses. Taller buildings sway much slower which gives them a lot of built in protection against even the largest earthquakes found throughout history

The Reason Europeans Began Consuming Coffee During the 16th Century

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Coffee was initially referred to as a drink only consumed by the devil and frowned upon until Pope Clement VIII tried it and changed his opinion which changed Rome, Italy’s stance. Coffee was seen as the devil’s drink because it was the drink of the Muslim and therefore by default the infidels with whom Christians had been at war for centuries. Pope Clement VIII famously stated that coffee was so delicious that Christians should cheat the devil by baptizing the beverage

The First Assassination With a Firearm

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The first assassination using a firearm was of James Stewart the Earl of Moray, in 1570, who was assassinated by James Hamilton. Hamilton stalked Stewart for weeks, following him from Perth, Scotland to Stirling, Scotland, and finally pouncing when in Linlithgow, Scotland. Hamilton was well prepared, hanging a black cloth textile behind him so that his shadow could not been seen upon the street and putting down bird feathers to muffle the sound of his movements. As Stewart rode by, Hamilton raised up his weapon, a short barreled hunting carbine, and fired, hitting Stewart in the stomach. This shot caused much confusion but by the time Stewart and his entourage had figured out what occurred, Hamilton was long gone, as his escape route was pre-planned. Stewart managed to stumble to the home he was staying but died later that same evening. Hamilton was never caught for this crime but the entire act is immortalized in stained glass at Saint Giles’ Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland. This assassination caused chaos in Scotland and made the English court immensely nervous as bodyguards were no match for a distant assassin within the shadows who could pick off their target and vanish without a trace. Firearms were deemed during this era a threat to national security in Europe, especially after the advent of the wheel lock mechanism in 1515 which was a mechanized method of igniting gunpowder, allowing for the design of the pistol to work in practice for the very first time

The First Female Sculptor Within Italy During the Renaissance

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Properzia de Rossi, who was born in Bologna, Italy in 1490, aspired to become a sculptor and was the first female marble sculptor within Italy during the Renaissance of the 16th century. Although de Rossi left no diaries, fragments of her early work are still available during the modern day. Despite marble sculpting being viewed as a masculine art form during the Renaissance in that it required muscle to perform and an intelligent mind to create, both of which women were not thought to possess during this period. Because of this, de Rossi found her medium in other art forms, most notably her “Madonna of Mercy” within the Grassi Family Crest work which was a silver crest with 11 nectarine buttons which were carved intricately with small images of religious piety. By 1525, aged 35, de Rossi entered a contest for the main cathedral basilica of Bologna, San Petronio, of which she won. The piece was named “Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife” which depicts a fallen women who’s breasts are exposed, rising off of her bed to try and claim her husband as he leaves. It was believed during the period that it was unthinkable for a woman to study the male nude form through nudity. Because de Rossi’s sculptures were so accurate, it was assumed she knew too much of the male form and therefore she was dammed for her talent. In 1530, de Rossi died penniless and alone, a retched end for a great artist who was pushed out of society due to the sheer beauty and creativity of her work. Had de Rossi not been a victim of her time, she would have been celebrated with the most revered male Renaissance artists

The Viking Runic Alphabet

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The Vikings used runes upon their grave stones, weaponry, jewelry etc. which is a carved, angular and twisted writing, typically found with some kind of animal like the snake, which the Vikings were particularly fond of. The runic alphabet has 24 letters, nearly as many as the English alphabet which has 26 letters. The runic alphabet was inevitably forced to adapt and expand to 33 letters to produce new sounds, as the Vikings continuously conquered their neighbors and therefore required new ways to converse about these newly conquered lands. Initially, the Viking Elder Futhark alphabet featured 24 runes, but as Viking society evolved, it transitioned into the Younger Futhark alphabet, simplifying to 16 runes before expanding once again during the Medieval period to reflect these new sounds. The reason the runic alphabet is based upon vertical lines is because these were the easiest shapes to carve into stone and wood between the 9th and 11th centuries A.D. with the tools and technologies available to the Vikings within Scandinavia

The Caribbean Village of Biological Males Born Without Male Genitalia

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There is a village in the Dominican Republic called Salinas, in which 1 in 90 of the people born are born as males, with testicles, but without a penis, because of misconstrued instructions at birth. In males, the gene on the Y chromosome, specifically the Sex Determining Region Y (SRY), instructs the gonads to become testicles. This leads to the creation of dihydrotestosterone which is a stronger version of testosterone. Dihydrotestosterone transforms the tubercle which all males and females have, into a penis. Females do not make dihydrotestosterone, therefore their gonads become ovaries, and the tubercle becomes a clitoris. Infants perceived as female at birth, due to a lack of dihydrotestosterone during fetal development, later develop a penis during puberty when testosterone triggers penile growth, as it does in typical male development. Those who lack the ability to create dihydrotestosterone, as is the case with those born as males but raised as females in the Caribbean village of Salinas, Dominican Republic where it is common, are technically male, but without a penis, a condition referred to as “5 alpha reductase deficiency”. This condition is quite well accepted in this part of the world and even has a term which is “guevedoce(s)”, (pronounced “guava-doh-chey”) which means “penis/testicles at 12” in Spanish. This condition whilst common in this region of the Caribbean, it is very rare in other parts of the world

The North Korean Government Executing Convicted Persons for Minor Criminal Offenses

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North Korea is the only country in the world which kills its citizens for making unauthorized international telephone calls. Many assassinations have been made for similar reasons such as sleeping on the job as was the case when 1 person was killed, defaming Kim Jong Un’s wife as was the case when 9 people were killed, or being the ex-girlfriend of Kim Jon Un, as was the case when Kim Jong Un’s girlfriend was sentenced to death by firing squad. These executions occur as a deliberate strategy to maintain the North Korean governments absolute control over its population. By enforcing extreme punishments for the most minor infractions, the North Korean government instills a pervasive sense of fear, ensuring that citizens remain obedient and submissive. These actions are rooted within the governments desire and need to suppress dissent and eliminate any perceived threats to its authority, regardless of how trivial they may appear. Executions also serve as a haunting reminder of the consequences of disloyalty against the North Korean state, reinforcing a culture in which silence and compliance are essential to survive. By targeting individuals for minor actions, the North Korean government sends a clear message that no person is beyond its reach, and that every aspect of life is subject to its control. This calculated system of fear and punishment is central to the North Korean government’s strategy of self-preservation

The Fallacy of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte Being Short in Stature

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Napoleon Bonaparte was not actually short in stature, in fact he was of average height. This misconception stems from paperwork being written about Bonaparte which states that he was 5’2″, written as 5 pieds 2 pouces within France during the early 19th century, but it was from a French town which used an antiquated unit of measurement referred to as the “French foot”, which classified the imperial measurement of 1′ as 13″ instead of the 12″ which is what 1′ is stated to be within the imperial measurement system. When accounting for this error in transcription, it would appear that Bonaparte was actually 5’7″ which during the last half of the 18th and beginning half of the 19th century when Bonaparte was alive, was considered average, or even slightly above average in regard to the stature of height. The fallacy of Bonaparte being short was exaggerated by English propaganda, particularly satirical cartoons which portrayed Bonaparte as small and temperamental, affixing this image to Bonaparte for centuries and into the modern day

The Reason Mercury’s Orbit Around the Sun Appears Retrograde From Earth

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Albert Einstein’s Theory of Relativity can be proven because of how Mercury orbits the Sun. Isaac Newton correctly explained how and why planets orbit the Sun, but because Mercury is so close to the Sun, it orbited its center star 7% faster than it should have therefore Mercury is close enough to the Sun that its space-time path is warped because of the mass of the Sun and this warping causes Mercury to orbit faster than planets further away. For many decades scientists hypothesized there was another planet, unseen yet, which gave Mercury an extra push. This additional planet was prematurely named “Vulcan”, which was in vain because no such planet ever existed. It was also theorized that cosmological dust gave Mercury its extra boost or that an unseen asteroid or asteroid field was helping Mercury along. It wasn’t until Albert Einstein proposed that all matter cuts through both space and time, following a curve, that the catalyst could be definitively proven. If a sphere rolled along a table and suddenly hit a dip, it would speed up and change its trajectory. This is essentially what occurs within space-time and is the reason Isaac Newton’s Universal Laws of Gravitation don’t quite fit with Mercury. Mercury is close enough to the Sun that its space-time path is warped because of the mass of the Sun and this warping causes Mercury to orbit faster than planets further away. It is not only Mercury which does this; any planet or body near its host star will orbit slightly faster than planets or bodies further away. Although it is impossible to visually see the curvature and bending of space-time, it can be definitively proven because of the way large bodies of matter affect smaller bodies of matter due to the mass of each body