The Mathematical Inventions of Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi

The mathematical concept of algorithms were developed by and subsequently named after Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi (pronounced “moo-ham-mad ih-bin moo-sah al kwar-iz-me”), an Islamic scholar who lived during the 8th century. The concept of algorithms arrived in Europe in the 12th century and al-Khwarizmi’s name was translated to Latin which is where the term “algorithm” is derived. al-Khwarizmi also introduced the western world to the decimal system and introduced reduction and balancing methods (e.g. like and unlike terms) causing al-Khwarizmi to become referred to as the ”father and founder of algebra”. The term “algebra” is derived from the Arabic term “al-jabr” which means “reunion of broken parts”. al-Khwarizmi invented and used algebra to solve quadratic equations and it has been stated throughout history that the ideas that al-Khwarizmi developed, helped usher in the European Renaissance during the 14th, 15th, and 16th centuries

The Ancient Roman Apothegm of S.P.Q.R.

The acronym “SPQR” is an initialism of the Latin phrase, “Senatus Populusque Romanus” which means “The Roman Senate and People”. Latin was the primary language spoken by the ancient Romans, alongside many other lesser spoken languages as the Roman empire was a vast and diverse nation state with tolerance for culture, language, and religion. Today SPQR is still used as the official emblem of the modern day commune/municipality of Rome, Italy

The Etymology of “Police”

The term “police” first came into use in English during the 15th century with the term meaning “public policy” or “public order”. The root of the term comes from French, and the French root term is originally based upon the Latin term “politia” which was adapted from the Greek term “politeia” meaning “citizenship”, “administration”, or “civil polity”. To clarify, the term “polity” means “civil government”. The Greek term “politeia” is based upon the Greek word “polis” which means “city” (e.g. the English term “metropolis” meaning “urbanized/highly condensed city”)

The Rarity of Incunable Books

Any book printed before 1500 (or within 50 years of the invention of the printing press) is referred to as an “incunable” book. Book printing started around 870 A.D.. but the limitation of literate people who could read and write restricted books from being mass produced until Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in 1440. Books before 1500 are considered incredibly rare and expensive because they are one of a kind and essentially artwork, pieces which only the very wealthy could afford during the period of their introduction. Incunable means “in the cradle” in Latin which refers to the infancy period of book prints