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Illawarra Flame Tree

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Illawarra Flame Tree

The Illawarra flame tree will not cause a fire!

  • Illawarra flame trees are big trees that grow to a typical height of 20 metres (66 feet), but can grow up to 40 metres (130 feet).
  • Illawarra flame trees are deciduous and are native to the eastern coastal areas of Australia.
  • Illawarra flame trees are from the family Malvaceae, which is the family of mallows, to which hibiscus, hollyhocks, cotton, cacao and okra all belong.
  • The scientific name of Illawarra flame trees is Brachychiton acerifolius, and they are one of the 31 species in the Brachychiton genus, which also includes bottle trees.
  • When Illawarra flame trees lose all of their leaves, the tree becomes shrouded in 1 to 2 centimetre (0.4 to 0.8 inches) long red coloured, bell shaped flowers.

illawarre flame tree, Red, Flowers, Australia, Bright, Tall, Large, Ten Random Facts

  • Illawarra flame trees gr0w 10 cm (4 inch) long, dark brown seed pods and green, maple-shaped leaves.
  • Illawarra flame tree seed pods are potentially hazardous as they contain hairs that can be inhaled, irritate on contact with skin, and in the worse-case scenario, cause blindness.
  • The yellow seeds of Illawarra flame tree seeds have been eaten by indigenous Australians, who would carefully toast the seeds.
  •  ‘Illawarra flame trees’ are also known as ‘kurrajongs’ or ‘flame trees’ and they grow best in temperatures that are warm.
  • The inner bark of Illawarra flame trees has been used to create fishing line.

 

Bibliography:
Brachychiton Acerifolius, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachychiton_acerifolius
Brachychiton Acerifolius, n.d, Royal Botanic Gardens, http://www.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/education/Resources/bush_foods/Brachychiton_acerifolius

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Ribbon

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Ribbon

Tie up that ribbon.

  • Ribbons are generally thin strips of a cloth but are sometimes manufactured from or include metal or plastic.
  • Ribbons are often made of silk, polyester, nylon and cotton, and common types include satin, wire-edged, velvet and grosgrain.
  • ‘Ribbon’ comes from the Middle English or Old French words ‘ribban’ or ‘ruban’ respectively.
  • Ribbons are cloth strips that are between 0.32 to 30 centimetres (0.125 to 12 inches) in width.
  • Ribbons are an ancient invention, and were manufactured in France as early as 1000 AD.

Ribbon, Thick, Thin, Hair, Red, Strip, Pink, White, Coloured, Blue, Orange, Ten Random Facts

  • Ribbons are often used as a body accessory, decoration for gifts, for tying objects in place, an adornment on clothes, as recognition of a place-getter in a competition or an award, and is a popular hair accessory.
  • Ribbons are often used as symbols, commonly worn for awareness, with symbolic colours such as red for AIDS awareness.
  • During the 1500s, in England, there was an attempt at restricting the wearing of ribbons only to those who were noble or of importance.
  • Ribbons are generally made from spun and woven fine threads, and once they are woven, they are usually rolled onto a spool ready for sale or use.
  • In the 1600s, ribbons were the fashion, appearing on many wearable items of both male and female.
Bibliography:
How to make Ribbon, n.d, How To, http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Ribbon.html
Ribbon, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon

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Google

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Google

“Don’t be evil.” – Google Inc.

  • Google is an online, public, international search engine that also owns many other companies, programs and utilities.
  • Google was created in 1996 at Stanford University in Stanford, United States by Larry Page and Sergey Brin as part of their PHD project.
  • Google was incorporated in 1998, when a check was sent to a nonexistent company ‘Google Inc.’, with the ‘office’ being located in the garage of a friend.
  • Google originally existed at the domain ‘google.stratford.edu’, and the current domain was purchased in 1997.
  • ‘Google’ is a commonly spelled version of the mathematical word for 10100, ‘googol’, but the search engine was originally named ‘BackRub’.
Google Logo, Internet, Screenshot, Ten Random FactsLogo
Image courtesy of Google
  • Google was used by 1 billion people in one month, for the first time in May 2011, and in 2012, Google earned $50 billion, which was $12 billion more than 2011.
  • Google moved its offices to California, United States in 2003, calling the complex ‘Googleplex’, which came from the mathematical term ‘googolplex’, 10googol.
  • Google owns YouTube, Blogger and Android and has created programs including Gmail, Maps, Drive, social network (Google+), Earth, News, Chrome (browser), Translate, Apps and Adwords.
  • ‘Google’ became an official word in 2006, meaning ‘to search on Google’.
  • The Google logo is typically the name in blue, red, yellow and green, which sometimes changes appearance for certain days and these special logos are called ‘doodles’.

 

Bibliography:
Company, 2013, Google, http://www.google.com/about/company/
Google, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google

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Butter

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Butter

What would it be like without butter?

  • Butter is a dairy foodstuff made by churning milk fats, known as cream, of the milk of certain mammals.
  • Butter can be made from cow’s, yak’s, sheep’s, goat’s or buffalo’s milk, as well as others.
  • Butter is a solid when cooled, becomes soft at room temperatures and starts to melt into a liquid at 32 to 35°C (90 to 95°F).
  • Butter is coloured from white to deep yellow, although typically pale yellow, with food colourings sometimes added.
  • Commercial butter generally contains approximately 80% fat, with the remaining percentages made of water and milk solids.

Butter,Block, Yellow, Deep, spread, Ten Random Facts, Homebrand, Australia

  • Butter was made by hand, typically on farms, before the 1800s, and was sometimes used as a substitute for lamp oil during the Middle Ages.
  • Butter is commonly used as a spread on bread and is one of the main ingredients in many recipes, including cakes, biscuits, sauces.
  • Butter is a good source of vitamin A and has one of the lowest fat contents out of most common cooking fats, although one of the highest in saturated fat.
  • Butter was used in Ancient Rome to smooth the skin and make hair shiny.
  • Butter has been made for thousands of years, with many ancient references, including the Bible, and civilisations such as Egypt, making mention of it.
Bibliography:
Butter, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butter
Explore the History and Making of Butter, n.d, Butter through the Ages, http://www.webexhibits.org/butter/
The History of Butter, n.d, Dairy Goodness, http://www.dairygoodness.ca/butter/the-history-of-butter

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The Wave

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The Wave

You cannot ride the Wave!

  • The Wave is a natural rock formation made of eroded sandstone, with the formation reaching 1,593 metres (5,275 feet) above sea level.
  • The Wave can be found on the borders of Arizona and Utah, in the United States, found in the Paria Canyon-Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness in the Coyote Buttes area.
  • The Wave is sloped ditches and ‘waves’ of sandstone.
  • The Wave has edges that break easily when a person steps on them so care must be taken to avoid damage to the rock edges.
  • The Wave is one of the most popular destinations of hikers and photographers, with the best photos at dawn, dusk and noon.

The Wave, Orange, Stunning, Sandstone, Coyote Buttes, America, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

A Wave
Image courtesy of Frank Kovalcheck/Flickr
  • The Wave has patterned lines of colours ranging from red, orange, yellow, pink, green and white.
  • Only 20 permits for entry to the Wave are given out for each day, with the receivers being decided by lottery.
  • After storms, the road to the Wave can become impassable, and puddles of water gather in the wave, attracting numerous tadpoles and fairy shrimps.
  • Erosion of the Wave has caused interesting structures, with some that appear to be castles or chutes.
  • The Wave can be a fatal hike without proper equipment, particularly a GPS and sometimes a tour guide.
Bibliography:
The Wave – Coyote Buttes, 2013, Utah.com, <http://www.utah.com/playgrounds/the_wave.htm>
The Wave, Arizona, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wave,_Arizona>

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Rhinoceros

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Rhinoceros

Watch those poachers, big rhinoceros.

  • Rhinoceros are herbivorous mammals from the family Rhinocerotidae and is a group of five species.
  • The word ‘Rhinoceros’ can be shortened to ‘rhinos’, and ‘rhinoceroses’ can also be used as a plural.
  • Two rhinoceros, the ‘black’ and the ‘white’, are native to Africa and three, the ‘Indian’, the ‘Javan’ and the ‘Sumatran’ are native to Asia.
  • Rhinoceros have chunky skin, 1.5 to 5 centimetre (0.6 to 2 inches) thick, and one or two horns up to 1.5 metres (5 feet) in length that are made of keratin.
  • Rhinoceros are common targets for poachers, humans being their only predators, as their horns are considered as valuable as gold on the black market, and are used for ornamental and traditional medicine purposes.

Two Black Rhinoceros, Kenya, Solio, Africa, Forward, Ten Random Facts, National Geographic

Rhinos
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • ‘Rhinoceros’ is derived from the Ancient Greek words ‘rhino’ and ‘keras’, which mean ‘nose’ and ‘horn’ respectively.
  • Rhinoceros can weigh up to and beyond 3,500 kilograms (7,700 pounds) and can run at speeds of 48 kilometres/hour (30 miles/hour).
  • Rhinoceros have bad sight but have good hearing and smelling senses and can live up to 35 to 40 years in the wild.
  • Rhinoceros range from being ‘near threatened’ to ‘critically endangered’, with less than 70 of the Javan species of rhino alive.
  • Rhinoceros are the second largest land mammals alive and range from 2.4 – 4.6 metres (7 ft 10 in – 15 ft) in length and can be as tall as a human, depending on the species.
Bibliography:
Rhinoceros, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros Rhincerotidae, n.d, Kids Planet, http://www.kidsplanet.org/factsheets/rhinoceros.html

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