Want to Know it? Answers to life’s questions

Who Discovered the Asteroid Belt

August 7th, 2008 at 08:11am Under Who discovered

The asteroid belt is a region of our Solar System located between Mars and Jupiter. There are heaps of irregularly shaped bodies of rocks called asteroids (or minor planets) founds in the asteroid belt. This article will tell you who discovered the asteroid belt and also look at some facts about the asteroid belt.

Who, what, where and when…

The history behind the discovery of the asteroid belt is quite fascinating. In 1766, Johann Daniel Titius looked at the distances between planets and discovered that there was an unusual mathematical sequence which could accurately predict where the planets were located. This was called the Titius-Bode Law. When Uranus was discovered in 1781, it fit the model perfectly. The discovery of Neptune in 1846, however, discredited the theory as it didn’t fit the model at all. Today, scientists believe the mathematical sequence that Titius found is merely a coincidence.

Anyway, while the Titius-Bode Law was still believed to be correct, a scientific club was formed to find a planet between Mars and Jupiter that should have existed according to the theory. On New Years Day, 1801, Giuseppe Piazzi find a tiny object exactly where it should have been according to the Law. He initially thought it was a comet, but there was no coma (envelope) around the rock. He thought that it must have been a planet. In 1802, Heinrich Olbers discovered another object in that region. William Herschel suggested that these bodies be called asteroids, which means ‘star-like’. New objects were discovered in that region for years to come and it was eventually renamed the asteroid belt.

Facts about the asteroid belt

• Some asteroids in the belt are over 100km wide.
• While there are lots of asteroids in the belt, they are spread across a large distance so it is very unlikely (about a one in a billion chance) that a spacecraft would run into an asteroid.
• Despite the low density of asteroids, collisions between asteroids have been known to occur and an asteroid family is formed when asteroids collide.

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Who Discovered Sulfur

August 5th, 2008 at 11:16am Under Who discovered

Sulfur, the chemical element with the symbol S, is a yellow crystalline solid. Sulfur is an essential element for life and is often referred to as brimstone. This article will tackle the question who discovered sulfur and give four interesting and educational facts about sulfur.

First, let’s look at the question who discovered sulfur. Well, unfortunately, no one really knows who discovered sulfur. Sulfur was known in ancient times and is referred to in Genesis in the Bible (called the Torah in Judaism). English translations of the Bible refer to sulfur as brimstone. Sulfur was also known to the Chinese in the 6^th century BC in its natural form. In the 3^rd century the Chinese discovered how to isolate sulfur from the mineral pyrite (commonly known as fool’s gold). After isolation, the Chinese began using sulfur in medicine and sulfur has become a part of traditional Chinese medicine. By 1044 AD the Chinese used sulfur as a main component of gun powder. In 1777 Antoine Lavoisier determined that sulfur was an element and not a compound. That is the history of sulfur. Who discovered sulfur- nobody knows! Now let’s look at four amazing facts about sulfur.

Facts about sulfur

• Sulfur is often spelt sulphur in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, Ireland and other Commonwealth states, but sulfur is the correct spelling in the United States. The official spelling as recognised by different chemical societies is sulfur.
• Hydrogen sulfide, produced in anaerobic decay and commonly known as rotten egg gas, gives sulfur a bad reputation as a bad smelling element! Sulfur in its purest form is actually odourless.
• Coal and oils often contain sulfur impurities. When coal and oils are burnt, some sulfur dioxide gas is produced. This reacts with water in the atmosphere to produce sulfuric acid, a component of acid rain which is very damaging to the environment.
• Sulfur has various uses, although it is mainly used in fertilisers as it is important for plant growth. Sulfur is also used in gunpowder, matches, insecticides and fungicides.

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Where do Cheetahs Live

August 3rd, 2008 at 06:18am Under where do

Cheetahs are a member of the cat family well known for their ability to accelerate from 0km/h to 110km/h (68mph) in just three seconds. This post will tell you exactly where cheetahs live and also look at some interesting and fun facts about Cheetahs.

Habitats and countries where you can find a cheetah

Cheetahs are found primarily in Africa, although they used to extend into most of Asia. There are a few cheetahs living in Iran and conservationists there are trying to ensure that the population does not become extinct. Besides those cheetahs in Iran (estimated at 50), all others are located in Africa. There are some unconfirmed reports which indicate that there are cheetahs in India. Cheetahs love to live in semi-desert environments where there is thick brush and lots of open, flat land. However, cheetahs can live in a variety of different habitats. Cheetahs in Namibia live in grasslands, savannahs and on mountains.

Facts about cheetahs

• ‘Cheetah’ is the name of a film made by Walt Disney Pictures in 1989. It starred Keith Coogan.
• Conservationists list the cheetah as a vulnerable animal.
• The word ‘cheetah’ is derived from the word chitrak?ya? in classical Indian (called Sanskrit).
• Cheetahs can purr but they cannot roar
• Adult cheetahs weigh between 40kg (88lb) and 70kg (160lb).
• Cheetahs can run fast due to the following adaptations; large nostrils for increased oxygen intake, enlarged heart to pump blood quickly, large lungs to circulate oxygen quickly and effectively.
• It is very difficult to breed cheetahs in captivity. Only a few zoos in the world have been successful at breeding cheetahs.
• The average number of babies a female cheetah gives birth to is 3-5. They can give birth to 9 cubs.
• Cheetah’s are carnivores. They feed upon gazelles, springbok and impala. When hunting in groups, cheetahs may prey on baby zebras.

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Who Invented YouTube

August 1st, 2008 at 04:16am Under who invented

YouTube is the most popular video sharing sites on the Internet and YouTube contains over 83.4 million videos. This article will tell you exactly who invented YouTube and also tell you some facts about YouTube.

Who Invented It?

YouTube was invented by three former PayPal employees in February 2005. The three co-founders are Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim. Chen and Karim had actually attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign together, both studying computer science. It took the three inventors six months to build the site.

Facts about YouTube

• YouTube is blocked in several countries. Pakistan blocked YouTube on February 23, 2008 over concerns that there were videos offensive to the Islamic faith. Three days later, the ban was removed as YouTube took the offending material down.
• Many schools have also begun to ban access to YouTube over fears that people will watch and/or upload videos of bullying and school fights
• The main criticism of YouTube is that it allows people to upload any content that infringes copyright. YouTube has been subject of a number of lawsuits as companies claim that YouTube should do more to block people uploading copyrighted videos. In response, YouTube has added a ‘digital fingerprint’ system that checks videos that are uploaded against the original content.
• YouTube is currently owned by Google Inc. There is some speculation that Google will try and sell YouTube as it is actually costing them more money than it is making them. The bandwidth costs are estimated to be more than $US1,000,000 a day!
• YouTube allows you to upload videos in the following formats; WMV, AVI, MOV, MPEG and MP4. Videos can also be uploaded directly from a mobile phone.
• Some people have tried to use automated systems to inflate the number of views a video has. This is used to try and get videos to become the most watched videos ever. This is against the Terms of Service and YouTube has banned many videos from contention for the most watched videos as people have used automated software to inflate the view count.

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Who Invented Gum

July 29th, 2008 at 03:26am Under who invented

Chewing gum is a popular type of confectionary that is used to freshen breath and help dental hygiene. This article will tell you exactly who invented gum and also look at some facts about chewing gum including some health risks associated with chewing gum.

Timeline of the Invention of Chewing Gum

• The Ancient Greeks used to chew mastiche which was made from the resin of the mastic tree. The Mayans chewed sap from the sapodilla tree. Native American Indians also chewed sap from a different type of tree, the spruce tree. Early American settlers picked up this habit of chewing sap.
• The first commercial chewing gum was invented by John Curtis in 1848. It was called the State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum (very interesting name)!
• On December 28, 1869, William Semple became the very first person to patent a chewing gum (US patent number 98,304)
• Two years later, in 1871, Thomas Adams patented a machine for the manufacture of chewing gum
• 1880 was the year when John Colgan invented a way to make the chewing gum flavour last longer.
• Tutti-Frutti became the first chewing gum to be sold in a vending machine. This chewing gum was a Thomas Adams invention.
• William Wrigley Jr and Henry Fleer added mint and fruity flavours to gum in 1914.
• The first bubble gum was invented by Frank Henry Fleer in 1906 but it was never sold to the public. Walter Diemer invented the first commercially sold bubble gum in 1928, improving upon Fleer’s recipe

Facts about Chewing Gum

• Some chewing gums contain vinyl acetate which is believed to be carcinogenic (cancer causing). Many manufactures are avoiding using this ingredient due to health concerns. The Canadian government has classified vinyl acetate as a potentially high hazard substance.
• Chewing gum is used by military personal to improve concentration and reduce stress on the battlefield.
• The United States military has experimented with caffeinated chewing gum which could keep people alert for extended periods of time without any fatigue.
• Most chewing gums now used artificial sweeteners instead of cane sugar.

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Fun Facts about France

June 30th, 2008 at 10:50am Under facts

France (officially the French Republic) is a country located in Western Europe. Here are some fun facts about France.

• The most popular sports in France are football (soccer), rugby league and rugby union. Handball and basketball are also popular in many parts of France.
• Well known sporting events held annually in France are the Tour de France (the best known road bicycle race in the world) and the French Open (one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments)
• French literature is very popular and well known. Charles Perrault was one of France’s most influential children’s writers. He wrote books such as Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Puss in Boots.
• The French healthcare system was ranked number one in the world back in 1997. Average life expectancy in France is currently 79.73 years.
• 54% of French people identify themselves as being Christians, while 31% of people stated that they were not religious. Islam, Buddhism and Judaism are all practised by a minority (just over 1%) of the population
• It is estimated that there are between 200,000 and 1 million illegal immigrants in France
• France has an estimated population of 64.5 million, making it the 19^th largest country (in terms of population) in the world.
• France is the most popular tourist destination in the world. Nearly 82 million people traveled to France for holidays in 2007. Spain was the second most popular tourist destination with 58.5 million visitors.
• In 2004, only 68.8% of French people aged 15-64 were working. This is a major contributor to the relatively low GDP per capita in France compared with the United States.
• France has the most extensive railway system in Western Europe. High speed trains traveling at up to 320 km/h (200mph) are used by commercial rail companies.
• France has a civil legal system. This means that the law arises from statues and judges can only interpret this law (they are not to make law). England (the United Kingdom), the United States, Australia and Canada all have common law systems. This means that judges make (or declare) the law, as well as interpret statutes. In common law systems, judges are bound to follow previous decisions in the same way (hence, the name ‘common’ law).

Hope you enjoyed those fun facts about France.

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Who Founded Greenpeace

June 25th, 2008 at 07:47am Under who founded

Greenpeace (originally the Greenpeace Foundation) is a group of environmentalists who tackle important environmental issues such as whaling, bottom trawling, nuclear testing, nuclear power and global warming. Greenpeace has a presence across the globe with 28 national and regional offices around the world. This post will tell you who founded Greenpeace and also look at some facts about Greenpeace.

Who founded Greenpeace

Greenpeace was first founded to oppose the United States testing nuclear devices in Alaska. It was founded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada in 1971. Greenpeace was founded by many of the co-founders of the Don’t Make a Wave Committee. The founders of Greenpeace include Dorothy Stowe, Irving Stowe, Marie Bohlen, Jim Bohlen, Ben Metcalfe, Dorothy Metcalfe, Patrick Moore, Bob Hunter and Bill Darnell. Darnell was the one to suggest the name Greenpeace (although the original suggestion was to have the name in two words- Green Peace). Many of the founders were members of the Society of Friends (also known as Quakers). While they failed in their first mission to stop the nuclear test, Greenpeace was born and they have fought many environmental battles since. Now you know who founded Greenpeace. Let’s look at some facts about Greenpeace.

Facts about Greenpeace

• Greenpeace has been criticized for using extreme methods to prevent whaling. Some have argued that their methods border on eco-terrorism
• One part of the Mission Statement of Greenpeace states that Greenpeace will work ‘for disarmament and peace by reducing dependence on finite resources and calling for the elimination of all nuclear weapons’
• Stopping climate change (global warming) is the top priority for Greenpeace
• Some of the ships owned by Greenpeace are called the Rainbow Warrior, MY Arctic Sunrise and MV Greenpeace
• Patrick Moore, a co-founder of Greenpeace, left the organization in 1986 when the group decided to support a universal ban on chlorine. Moore called chlorine essential for human health and a big advance in public health history.

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When was the cell phone invented

June 24th, 2008 at 09:40am Under when was

Cell phones are very useful electronic devices that allow you to talk to or text message other people. Cell phones are fast becoming one of the most popular pieces of technology and nearly everyone ones a cell phone. I remember first getting a cell phone (of course, we call them mobile phones here in Australia) when I was 14. It was the size of a brick! Now, cell phones are very streamlined and made for a new generation of users. This post will answer the question when was the cell phone invented and also look at some facts about the cell phone.

When was the cell phone invented?

American Telephone and Telegraph thought about creating a wireless phone way back in 1915. However, they were afraid that this great technology would undermine its monopoly on wired services in the United States. It took 63 years for the first cell phone to be released to the public in Japan. It was invented by a man named Martin Cooper in 1973 while he was working for Motorola. So now you know when the cell phone was invented. Now let’s look at some interesting facts about the cell phone.

Facts about cell phones:

• The first cell phone released by Motorola was the DynaTec phone. It cost a whopping $3,500 and did not sell particularly well to the general public (I wonder why!)
• The Nokia Communication was the first mobile phone to enable wireless email and internet connection. It was released in 1996.
• Ringtones were first sold in 1998.
• Over half the world’s population is currently subscribed to a mobile phone service. Some suspect that this number is inflated as it takes old subscriptions that are no longer used into account.
• Whether or not cell phones may really be a risk at gas stations (petrol stations) is unknown. Some tests (such as the MythBusters) determined that there is no risk but other studies disagree.

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Interesting Facts about Chile

June 23rd, 2008 at 02:49am Under facts

Chile (officially the Republic of Chile) is a country in South America that is located between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Here are some interesting facts about Chile.

• Chile borders three different countries; Argentina to the east, Bolivia to the northeast and Peru to the north
• Chile has an unusual ribbon shape. It is 4300 km long and just 175 km wide (on average)
• Forests, grazing land, volcanoes and lakes are all features of southern Chile.
• Chile had to endure a 17 year military dictatorship between 1973-1990 that left more than 3000 people either dead or missing
• It is believed that Native Americans settled in Chile about 10,000 years ago. They settled along the coast as the most fertile land was found there
• Michelle Bachelet Jeria is the current president of Chile. She is the first woman president ever in Chile and was elected in January 2006
• Chile is the world’s 38^th largest country. It is about twice the size of Japan
• The population of Chile is expected to be about 20.2 million by 2050
• About 10% of the Chilean population consider themselves indigenous to the region. However, according to the 2002 census, only about half of these people still speak a native language or practice a native culture
• There are an estimated 840,000 Chileans living abroad. More than half of these live in Argentina. 2% of these live in my home country, Australia.
• The most popular sport in Chile is football (soccer to Australians and Americans). The Chilean football team won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Tennis is the second most popular sport in Chile, with Fernando González the last Chilean to reach a Grand Slam singles final.
• The two gold medals won by Chile in the Olympic Games come from tennis. They have also won six silver medals (in athletics, equestrian, boxing and shooting) and four bronze medals (in tennis, boxing and football).
• Tourism is growing very quickly in Chile. In 2005, tourism generated more than $US4.5 billion.
• The main language spoken in Chile is Spanish, but there are also many indigenous languages that are spoken by a minority of Chileans.
• Catholicism is the main religion is Chile.

Hope you enjoyed these interesting facts about Chile!

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Who Discovered Popcorn

June 20th, 2008 at 06:15am Under Who discovered

Popcorn is a very unique type of corn that ‘pops’ or ‘explodes’ when it is heated. Strangely, only a few wild types of corn actually pop. The strain that is actually cultivated for use is Zea mays averta (which I’m sure means absolutely nothing to most of you!) This post will take a look at who discovered popcorn and also have a look at some interesting facts about popcorn, including its nutritional value which I’m sure you are all dying to know!

Who Discovered Popcorn

It was actually Native Americans who discovered the process of popping corn. Nobody is entirely sure of exactly when popcorn was truly discovered but we do know that it was thousands of years ago. A Native American myth was that an angry god escaped from the corn kernel when it was popped. This myth explained the noise that popcorn makes when it pops. So now you know just who discovered popcorn. Let’s take a look at those facts about popcorn.

Facts about Popcorn

Fact 1: Popcorn actually has some good nutritional value! It is very high in fiber and contains fairly good amounts of the B vitamins. Popcorn is also low in calories (before you add all the butter, of course), contains no sodium (before you add salt) and is sugar free (unless you are one of those people who adds sugar).

Fact 2: The American Academy of Pediatrics advises that popcorn not be fed to children under the age of four due to the risk of choking.

Fact 3: Popcorn was considered a luxury during the depression. A bag of popcorn cost a ‘whopping’ 5-10c!

Fact 4: Popping popcorn is a real are form. Pop it at too high a temperature and it burns to the bottom of the pot. Pop it at too low a temperature and you end up with lots of unpopped kernels. Of course, most people just eat microwave popcorn these days which means this is much less of a problem.

Fact 5: Popcorn kernels must by dried by the manufactures otherwise they pop very poorly.

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