The Origin of the Piggy Bank

During the 15th century, the English would often store coins within pygg pots or containers. During the 18th century these vessels became referred to as “piggy banks” which is where the modern day term is derived from. Piggy banks were called as such because of the pygg they were comprised of which is a type of clay, an inexpensive, orange colored earthenware clay used to produce everyday vessels within England from the 15th century onward (e.g. pitchers, cups, pots etc.). The primary reason for this is that metal has been costly all throughout history, due to the difficulty of sourcing and producing it from ore, and because of this expense, alongside the fact that pygg is more commonly available and found in larger quantities throughout England, the English public relied upon pygg containers to hold not only food and liquids but also spare coins and other small treasures

The Fallacy of Airplane Mode Disabling the Global Positioning System Tracking of Smartphones

Even when Airplane Mode is activated, the Apple iPhone still receives signals from the global positioning system because this apparatus is a passive, receive only system which does not rely upon a cellular connection, WiFi connection, and/or Bluetooth connection to function. The iPhone scans and listens for satellites orbiting the Earth and calculates its relative position based upon this timing data, which means the iPhone can still determine a users location even without an internet connection, however if this is not desirable by the end user, Location Services can be disabled which theoretically turns this function off. This information is true for most modern smartphones including Android, however not all (e.g. smartphones manufactured prior to 2010, minimalistic/budget conscious smartphone designs, smartphones with custom firmware and/or enterprise restrictions like those managed by corporate information technology teams or running custom read only memory etc.)

The First Person to Publish an Encyclopedia

Naturalis Historia was the first compiled collection of writing, which during the modern day would be referred to as an “encyclopedia.” Written by Pliny the Elder in the 1st century A.D., Naturalis Historia was divided into 37 unique books and contained more than 20,000 individual facts. Naturalis Historia was comprised of a vast array of subjects including astronomy, geography, zoology, botany, medicine, and even artwork, making it one of the most ambitious attempts in history to catalog and consolidate the entirety of human knowledge. Unlike earlier publications which often focused upon a singular discipline (e.g. medicine but not science or law but not ethics etc.), Pliny the Elder’s Naturalis Historia compilation sought to collect and streamline the entirety of the natural world and the human understanding of it into a single reference point. Pliny the Elder’s encyclopedic vision influenced scholars for centuries after his death, and his work served as one of the main pillars of Medieval and Renaissance education in the centuries which followed. Shortly after completing this compendium in 77 A.D., Pliny the Elder died during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. at age 55 whilst attempting to rescue those who could not escape from the volcano’s clutch. Fortunately, the entirety of his Naturalis Historia work survived this natural disaster

The Number of Gifts Santa Claus and the Elves Must Build and Deliver Each Christmas Eve

Assuming Santa Claus delivers at least 1 gift to each child worldwide, this would equate to 2,100,000,000 (2.1 billion) gifts. With an average of 2.5 children per household worldwide, Claus would have to visit 840,000,000 (840 million) homes to accomplish this task. To finish this job in 24 hours (12 for each side of the world), Claus would need to visit 35,000,000 (35 million) homes per hour which would be 580,000 per minute, or nearly 10,000 every second! Because there are so many homes and so very many children, the elves of the North Pole face an equally grueling pace. Assuming each child receives 1 toy, and the build time is spread across 364 days, these elves would need to craft approximately 5,750,000 (5.75 million) toys per day. This would mean 240,000 toys per hour, 4,000 per minute, or nearly 70 every second without a work break for any of them. If the North Pole were to employ 100 elves, each would need to make 0.7 toys per second; and with a large company of 1000 elves, this value drops to 1 toy every 14 seconds which is more manageable; however with a massive company of 10,000 elves, each would only need to craft 1 toy every 2.5 minutes which would be much more probable for a workforce to achieve; if however the North Pole were capable of managing a city sized work force of 100,000 elves, each elf would need only to craft a single toy every 24 minutes which is a pace that a human powered North Pole, theoretically could handle. With that being said, mythologically speaking elves are immortal, or at the very least ageless, and they do possess arcane magic and clandestine knowledge which must be kept in mind when calculating what is theoretically possible

The 4 Primary Preservative Agents Used During Ancient Egyptian Mummification

The 4 main chemicals used by the Ancient Egyptians for mummification were natron as a drying agent, palm wine to cleanse the body and its cavities after organ removal, cedar oil to anoint, and bitumen as a glue. Natron is a naturally occurring mineral mixture primarily composed of sodium carbonate decahydrate and sodium bicarbonate, with traces of sodium chloride and sodium sulfate, and is harvested from dry lake beds (e.g. Wadi Natrun etc.). Natron’s high alkalinity and hygroscopic properties allow it to desiccate human remains by drawing out moisture, whilst simultaneously inhibiting bacterial growth and chemically breaking down lipids. Beyond preservation, natron also symbolized ritual purification and was used ubiquitously within Ancient Egypt (e.g. religious ceremonies, glass manufacturing, personal hygiene etc.). Palm wine, a fermented beverage comprised of the sap of date palms, was highly valued for its antiseptic and moderate alcoholic properties throughout history within Egypt. During mummification, wt/wety (pronounced “weh-tee”) the Ancient Egyptian term for “embalmers”, used palm wine to rinse the thoracic and abdominal cavities, ensuring that residual organic tissue was sterilized and virtually all odors eliminated. This cleansing was often accompanied by aromatic herbs and spices, believed to be used for both hygiene as well as ritual purification, reflecting the Ancient Egyptian ideological concern for both physical preservation and symbolic purification of the vessel for the soul. Cedar oil, a bit of a misnomer as it was often derived from juniper or other closely related coniferous tree sources rather than the cedar tree itself, was prized for its resinous, aromatic, and antimicrobial characteristics. Cedar oil was applied as an anointing oil to both the skin and the ḥbsw/ḥebesw (pronounced “heh-bes-oo”), which means “bandages” in the Late Egyptian language, but more literally translates to “wrappings”, both to soften and preserve tissues but also to imbue human remains with the fragrance of soil/wood, smoke, and camphor; scents associated with the pantheon of Egyptian deities. For those who could not afford this preservation method, cedar oil could be injected into the body cavity directly, in which its solvent properties dissolved soft tissues, leaving only skin and bone once the natron had absorbed the liquefied remains, raised the overall pH level to halt decomposition, and dried the cavity completely. Lastly bitumen was used, a naturally occurring petroleum product also referred to as “natural asphalt”, which was a black, viscous substance sourced from various geological deposits within the region (eg. the Dead Sea etc.). Although not universally used throughout all dynasties of the Ancient Egyptian state, bitumen became increasingly common in the most recent phases of Ancient Egyptian history, particularly during the Greco Roman period from 332 B.C. – 642 A.D. Bitumen’s adhesive and waterproofing capabilities allowed it to bind wrappings and seal the body shut, and its dark coloration may have been deliberately chosen to evoke Osiris, the Ancient Egyptian god of the underworld, often depicted with black skin and symbolizing both fertility and rebirth. Additionally, in terms of chemical composition, bitumen provided durability to the embalming balms used, with modern day analyses revealing it was typically blended with resins, lipids, and waxes rather than used in its most pure form

The Reason WD-40 Was Developed

The WD-40 formula was developed by 3 scientists who succeeded in their goal upon the 40th design attempt, with the name WD-40 being an acronym meaning “Water Displacement: 40th Formula”. WD-40 was created in 1953 by the Rocket Chemical Company located in San Diego, United States of America. The formula was originally researched and developed as a means to protect the outer skin and thin tanks (e.g. lightweight pressurized tanks which provide structural support when filled saving weight overall) of SM-65 Atlas intercontinental ballistic missiles from rust and corrosion during the manufacturing, handling, and storage process(es) of missile silos. This proprietary mixture resolved for the aerospace industry the need for a dependable water displacing solvent which prevented moisture and other related damage. Early use of WD-40 upon Atlas SM-65 missiles demonstrated the solutions superior effectiveness in comparison to analogs. This prompted a handful of employees to take canisters of WD-40 home which inadvertently inspired the projects founder, Norm Larsen, to package WD-40 in an aerosol form designed specifically for consumer use. WD-40 first appeared on store shelves in 1958 and developed applications in spacecraft maintenance, disaster recovery, and countless home and industrial tasks (eg. lubricating stuck hinges of seized doors, displacing moisture upon electrical contacts, loosening rusted and/or seized bolts etc.)

The Role of Jewish Financiers Within Venice, Italy During the Renaissance and the Reason Christians Became Capable of Charging Interest Upon Loans

During the Renaissance, Jews were tolerated in Venice, Italy because they could provide an invaluable service which Christian financiers and merchants were forbidden to do which was to charge interest upon a loan, a concept referred to as “usury”, derived from the Latin term “usura” which means “use” or “interest”. Christians considered charging interest to be a sin and therefore could not partake in this economic exchange. Unfortunately, the Catholic Church’s Medieval laws against usury acted as a major obstacle for the development of finance within Europe during this period. Jews were not technically permitted to lend capital with interest, but those who did relied upon a convenient clause found within the 23rd chapter of Deuteronomy of the Christian Bible which states that lending to a brother at interest was forbidden but that a stranger was a different matter all together. These Jewish lenders interpreted this scripture as a means to provide the ability to lend to Christians, as Christian’s were not considered brothers of the Jews in a religious context during this period, but they would still not be capable of lending finance to other fellow Jews, as these members of society were viewed as brothers regardless of familial ties. Eventually Christian’s were able to circumvent the prohibition of charging interest, primarily because of Giovanni di Bicci de’ Medici, one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs within Italy during the Renaissance. Medici was able to evade Christian usury legislation as Jewish bankers did because of a clever device of trade which made profit upon exchanging multiple currencies rather than interest rates alone. No “interest” paid to Medici meant no sin had been committed. Medici’s business model took a small commission for each currency conversion rendered, with the size of the loan directly impacting the commission of the person who lent it

The Reason Giants Cannot Physically Exist Upon Earth

If volume and weight are both calculated as 1 unit, when a cube is made 1 x 1 x 1 when accounting for its length, width, and height, and 1 when accounting for its weight, the entire cube is in equal proportion; a concept referred to as a “unit cube” called as such because each of its dimensions (e.g. height, width, length etc.) are 1 unit in length. This changes however when doubling the cube in size and weight. When doubling the cube to 2 x 2 x 2 when accounting for its length, width, and height, the weight does not move in lockstep, because it becomes 8x (2 x 2 = 4 x 2 = 8). This fundamental mathematical principle referred to as the Square Cube Law, explains why as animals become bigger on land, life becomes exceedingly difficult because of the need to maintain and support the large weight associated with such large stature. As animals become more massive, the effect of gravity places an increasing role in their lives. The shape and form of the body is forced to change. Bones become more massive to scaffold their large bodies. This is why the largest animals on the planet are found within the Earth’s oceans as being within water is a way to circumvent this outcome and helps explain why as animals become larger upon land, life becomes exceedingly difficult because of the need to maintain an appropriate structure and weight associated with such large sizes. This principle also explains why the concept of a giant (e.g. mythology etc.) is physically problematic as if a human being were scaled up proportionally to twice their normal height, their volume and weight would increase 8x, whilst the strength of their bones and muscles would not scale at this same rate. The result would be a life form whose own mass would overwhelm its skeletal structure, making movement, balance, and even basic survival virtually impossible without some form of environmental and/or structural intervention and compensation

The Influence of Genghis Khan Throughout Asia and Europe During the 13th Century

Mongolian Khagan, which means “Khan Of Khans” or “king of kings” within Mongol Khel, the Mongolian language, perhaps more commonly translated as “emperor”, Temüjin Borjigi who is more well renowned for his title than his name, a title which is often mistaken for his name, Genghis Khan (pronounced “jeng-giss” with “jeng” sounding like “Jenga” and “giss” sounding like “kiss” with a hard “s”) killed over 40,000,000 (40 million) people during his reign as the Mongolia Khagan. This staggering death toll was the result of widespread military campaigns launched across Asia and Eastern Europe, in which entire cities were systematically destroyed. These conquests led to the formation of the Mongol Empire, the largest contiguous land empire in history. Borjigi’s various strategies (e.g. psychological warfare, mass executions, scorched Earth tactic for villages encountered etc.) helped reshape the geopolitical landscape of the east and west during the 13th century, turning Mongolia into the centralized power of the period. Despite this brutality, Borjigi’s legacy also included positive benefits (e.g. advancements in trade, advancements in communication, advancements in governance etc.), systems which went on to direct future empires. Borjigi’s advancements included the promotion of the Silk Road trade network, the creation of a postal relay system reaching across vast distances of territory, and the implementation of merit based leadership over blood ties, ideas which fostered connectivity and administrative efficiency throughout the empire. Additionally, Borjigi unified multiple warring tribes and enforced legislation which highlighted and punished corruption when exposed. Borjigi’s empire was not solely predicated upon conquest however, as his ideas also helped maintain control, structure, and cohesion within its vision for a constantly expanding empire, something extremely difficult to successfully accomplish. The way the Borjigin dynasty governed, most especially its methods of organizing logistics, enforcing legislation, and leading people, continues to echo within the frameworks of modern governments during the modern day via foundational principles which continue to shape how states manage infrastructure, enforce law and order, and mobilize populations. From the codification of legal frameworks to the strategic coordination of supply chains and communication networks, the Borjigin dynasty laid legacy groundwork capable of transcending its period of use and relevance. Because of this, Borjigin not only drew up and rearranged world borders, he changed how empires think and act as they expand outward

The Period When Human Begins Developed a Throw Away Cultural Mindset

Human beings have arguably been a throw away culture, or at the very least mindset and culture, since 1892 when bottle caps were first introduced. The trend has become more and more prevalent to the point where we now replace an entire transmission rather than a gasket. This shift reflects the rise of planned obsolescence, in which products are intentionally designed to have limited lifespans and/or be extremely difficult or expensive to repair. As manufacturing has become cheaper and mass production more efficient, the economic incentive to discard and replace overtook the values of maintenance and longevity. In all industries (eg. electronics, automotive, fashion etc.), repair has been sidelined in favor of convenience and profit. The result is a global surge in waste, with millions of tons of usable materials ending up in landfills each year. Fortunately, there is an expanding movement advocating for the right to repair one’s own possessions which is now acting as a counterbalance to this disposable mindset