Category: Polemology

The Reason WD-40 Was Developed

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

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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 Fallacy of the American Cowboy Dueling at High Noon

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The classic cowboy motif of two gritty outlaws squaring off at high noon in the middle of the street is a fallacy. Street duels directly related to the American West have only occurred 5x – 10x from 1860 – 1900. The most well renowned high noon dual and the inspiration for much of the cowboy genre aesthetic within Hollywood cinema was in 1865, a standoff between Bill Hickok and Davis Tutt in Springfield, United States of America. This particular dual inspired over a century of cinematic exaggeration and hyperbole within the film genre. In reality, most gunfights within the American West during the 19th century were spontaneous, chaotic, and rarely honorable (e.g. ambushes from behind saloon doors or shootouts from areas with ample coverage etc.). Whilst Hollywood would later romanticize these rare dual encounters, the cowboy lifestyle day to day was far more rugged and utilitarian than it is depicted within media. Cowboys were working class laborers, much like agricultural workers of the modern day, they were often young, diverse in background, and driven by necessity of survival rather than personal glory. These men and women spent long days upon horseback herding cattle across a vast and unforgiving landscape, contending with harsh weather cycles, animal stampedes, and the constant threat of injury via animal or human being. The cowboy period of American history, although brief, played a vital role in shaping the economic and cultural landscape of the American frontier

The Origin of the Excalibur Sword Mythology

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In 1136 A.D., a Welsh cleric named Geoffrey of Monmouth while traveling through South Wales, wrote a chronicle entitled “Historia Regum Brittaniae” (pronounced “his-tor-ee-yah ray-gum brit-ann-ee-eye”) which means the “History of the Kings of England” in Latin. This compendium was a clever weave of historical facts and fantastical tales, and the text did a great deal to reignite the legend of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Geoffrey wrote of Caliburnus which is translated to “Excalibur” in English, the mythical sword which provided Arthur the destiny to rule over England. Geoffrey accounts that the sword was forged upon the Isle of Avalon which would “carve the souls from out of them with blood”. Excalibur is an excellent demonstration of how highly the English venerated their swords, with other western cultures following suit

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 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 Color of Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Cleopatra’s Skin

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Cleopatra VII, the last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt, was of Macedonian descent, which makes her Greek, as her family was established by Ptolemy I, a soldier who later became a General within Alexander III’s military force, a person more commonly referred to as “Alexander the Great”. The Ptolemies practiced interfamily marriage, meaning siblings, or more uncommonly cousins etc., as Cleopatra herself married her brother, therefore her ancestry was predominantly Greek. The caveat to this is that the identity of Cleopatra’s mother is unclear, leaving a lot of room for speculation of potential Egyptian as well as other African or regional influences. As for her skin color specifically, historical depictions and recorded texts do not provide clear evidence, but based upon her Greek heritage, she likely had a light olive complexion, common in persons of Mediterranean lineage during the modern day. Cleopatra’s exact skin tone however remains uncertain without genetic evidence as her remains have never been identified and/or located

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

How Armor Was Decorated During the Medieval Period

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Armor was embroidered during the Medieval period by using oil and lead paint to mark off ornate areas which would stand out and perhaps be decorated with gold or other precious metals in a process referred to as “gilding”. Gold does not easily bind to any type of metal and the only way to properly do so is to undergo a process which involves mixing the gold with mercury. Once applied, a mixture of salt, vinegar, and copper sulphate, which is root killer, makes a paste which eats through the metal leaving the painted parts untouched, and resulting in an etched piece of armor. Blacksmiths sometimes heat treated armor which turned it a blueish hue which essentially rusts the metal as it is referred to as an “oxide” and an oxide occurs when a metal comes into contact with oxygen which reacts with the metal and creates a deposit when heated to a very specific temperature, as the heat is what shifts the red color of rust to the blue area of the color spectrum

The Reason Women Were Forced Into Caretaking Roles Throughout History

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In early hunter gatherer societies, women played a crucial role in providing sustenance within their communities. Women were responsible to gather fruits, nuts, and roots, developing extensive knowledge of plant life, seasonal patterns, and medicinal herbs as these are all necessary skill sets for foraging. As societies expanded in order to sustain their growing populations, women became less and less relevant as they were viewed as unfit for agricultural work or to participate within battles and wars, and because of these factors and because virtually all societies shifted toward agriculture, women gradually lost their ability to gather and became increasingly dependent upon the wealth and provisions of their husbands. The rise of warfare in expanding civilizations meant that warriors who were almost exclusively male gained access to even more control over resources and decision making within society. This forced women into the role of caretakers. With agriculture came the concept of land ownership, which was almost exclusively controlled by men, further solidifying male dominance of society. As permanent settlements formed, men took control of agricultural work, domestic trade, and governance, whilst women were confined to domestic responsibilities due to generations of marginalization and conditioning. Over the coming centuries, religious, cultural, and legal systems reinforced these divisions, ensuring that women remained economically and socially subordinate in perpetuity