Author Archives: Cris

Abraham Lincoln

By | |
Leave a comment
Abraham Lincoln

“Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” – Abraham Lincoln.

  • Abraham Lincoln was a lawyer and politician born on 12 February, 1809 and was assassinated by an actor, John Wilkes Booth, on 15 April 1865.
  • Abraham Lincoln was the 16th United States President, during 1861 to 1865, being responsible for taking major action in the American Civil war, ending US slavery and improving the US economy.
  • Abraham Lincoln was self-educated and came from an uneducated family, and is commonly ranked the greatest United States president of all time.
  • In 1840, Abraham Lincoln was engaged to his future wife, Mary Todd, however they broke up and did not marry as planned in 1841, but later came back together eventually marrying in late 1842.
  • Abraham Lincoln and his wife Mary had four children, although only one survived till adulthood, and the last descendant of Abraham died in 1985.

Abraham Lincoln, Print, Bank Note, Face, US, $5, Ten Random Facts, Free Digital Photos

Lincoln
Image courtesy of Gualberto107/Free Digital Photos
  • A portrait of Abraham Lincoln can be seen on the American penny and $5 note, and he received a patent in 1849, for a boat floating device.
  • Abraham Lincoln has his face sculpted on Mount Rushmore, and has a memorial and a museum dedicated to him.
  • Abraham Lincoln was a well known wrestler in his younger age, and is said to have defeated nearly all of the 300 wrestlers he wrestled against, and he also served in war as a captain and a private during a three month period.
  • Abraham Lincoln was originally a member of the Illinois House of Representatives and later became the Illinois member for the US House of Representatives.
  • Lincoln’s assassins’ brother, Edwin Thomas Booth, saved Abraham Lincoln’s son, Robert Todd Lincoln, from a train accident, a few months before Lincoln was assassinated.
Bibliography:
Abraham Lincoln, 2013, Bio, <http://www.biography.com/people/abraham-lincoln-9382540>
Abraham Lincoln, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln>

 

Amazon:     

Burr Puzzle

By | |
Leave a comment
Burr Puzzle

Is the Burr puzzle too puzzling?

  • Burr puzzles are interlocking puzzles, assembled by placing notched wood, plastic or metal  sticks together strategically, to make a type of open cube or rectangular prism.
  • A burr puzzle most commonly has 6 pieces and quality burrs are made very accurately allowing pieces to fit together snugly while easily sliding on each other.
  • The term ‘burr puzzle’ is probably reference to the shape of the puzzle being similar to a burr from certain plants, and has been adapted for use with other puzzles without sticks.
  • Although the origin of burr puzzles is unknown, one is depicted in the 1968 engraving by Sébastien Leclerc entitled L’Académie des sciences et des beaux-arts meaning ‘The Academy of Sciences and Fine Arts’.
  • It is said that there are 837 different pieces that could be made for a 6 piece burr puzzle, and there are almost 6 billion possible ways to fit these together to make a puzzle.

Burr Puzzle, Wood, Two, Notches, Skeleton, Light, Dark, Ten Random Facts

  • Some suggest that burr puzzles are of Chinese origin, like many other puzzles, such as tangrams, and reference to traditional Chinese yarn winders, furniture and other items that are constructed in a similar style point to that theory.
  • There are many types of burr puzzles, ranging from 3 to at least 12 pieces, diagonal burrs and holey burrs, and other varieties are also available.
  • With some burr puzzles, pieces are turned or twirled to move them into the correct position, however this is not the case with traditional burrs.
  • The first accepted patent for the burr puzzle was in 1916 by O W Brown, an American, although an earlier patent by J W Keiser was filed.
  • A burr puzzle is known by many other names including ‘six-piece interlocking cube’, ‘puzzle knot’, ‘six wooden sticks’, ‘Devil’s knot’, ‘Lu Ban locks’, ‘Kong Ming locks’ and ‘Chinese Cross’.
Bibliography:
Burr Puzzle, 2013 Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr_puzzle>
Traditional 6-Piece Burrs, n.d, Rob’s Puzzle Page, <http://home.comcast.net/~stegmann/interlocking.htm>

Amazon:     

Clownfish

By | |
Leave a comment
Clownfish

The clownfish certainly don’t clown around!

  • Clownfish are fish from the family Pomacentridae, which is also includes the family of damselfish and the scientific name for the fish is ‘Amphiprion’.
  • There are over 25 species of clownfish, that vary in colour and often have stripes and blotches that are yellow, orange, white, red and/or black in colour.
  • Clownfish grow to 10 to 18 centimetres (3.9 to 7.1 inches) in length and can be found in shallow waters and reefs.
  • It is suggested that clownfish are called so because of their bright and patchy or stripey colouring, while others say that the name is derived from its interesting swimming style, where it has a bobbing motion rather than a smooth motion.
  • Clownfish are native to the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and parts of the Pacific Ocean and are not found in the Mediterranean, Caribbean or the Atlantic Ocean.

Clownfish, Anemonefish, Anemone Orange, White, Black, Colour, Malaysia, two, Ten Random Facts, Coral Reef Alliance

Clownfish
Image courtesy of Steve Turek/Coral Reef Alliance
  • Clownfish live among anemone in a small group, eating zooplankton and other scraps trapped by the stinging creature, and the fish defend their anemone host if it is intruded.
  • Clownfish have a mucus coating that protects the fish from an anemone’s sting.
  • Anemones protect the clownfish, also known as ‘anemonefish’, and provide food and shelter, while the fish cleans the anemone and helps the marine creature  to grow.
  • Clownfish live for 6 to 10 years in the wild and lay 100 to 1000 eggs at one time, which hatch into males after 6 to 10 days.
  • Clownfish are always born males and the strongest male will take an irreversible change into a female, which happens when the female of the school dies.
Bibliography:
Anemonefish, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amphiprioninae
Clown Anemonefish, 2013, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/fish/clown-anemonefish/

Amazon:  

Petunia

By | |
4 Comments
Petunia

Pretty petunias.

  • Petunias are ornamental plants that have showy flowers, that attract insects and hummingbirds.
  • There are 35 species in the Petunia genus and they are from the family Solanceae, which is the family of nightshades, which includes tomatoes, potatoes, tobacco and eggplants.
  • Petunias are commonly hybrid annuals, with many different sizes and forms and some will flower all year.
  • Petunias are native to South America and are best grown in tropical areas.
  • Petunias are available in two main types, ‘grandiflora’ and ‘multiflora’, with grandifloras having larger but fewer flowers, and mulitfloras having plentiful but smaller flowers, and millifloras are also available which are mini plants with mini flowers.

Petunia, Pink< Purple, Red, Violet, White, Group, Lots, Flower, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • The word ‘Petunia’ is from a native South American word ‘petun’, the name for ‘tobacco, of which it is a close relative.
  • Petunia plants range from 15 cm (6 inches) up to 120 centimetres (4 ft) in height and are generally grown from seed.
  • Petunias flowers can be white, yellow, pink, purple, red and blue in colour, as well as bicolour, and can be used as cut flowers.
  • Petunia flowers can have flowers as large as 10 cm (4 inches) in diameter, and they have five lobed petals, with varieties including double flowers and ruffled petals.
  • Petunias can be grown in the garden or in pots, and prefer sunny conditions, and to keep them flowering, dead flowers should be removed regularly.

 

Bibliography:
Petunia, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petunia>
Plant Profile: Petunia, 2011, Gardening Australia, <http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1866725.htm>

Amazon:  

Artificial Satellite

By | |
1 Comment
Artificial Satellite

Artificial satellites zipping through space.

  • Satellites are objects that orbit another larger object in space, launched by humankind and there are hundreds, if not thousands of satellites currently orbiting earth.
  • Sputnik 1 was the first artificial satellite to be successfully launched into space, by the USSR (Soviet Union) on 4 October 1957.
  • Satellites are launched into space by rockets, and orbit up to and beyond 35,786 kilometres (22,236 miles) in altitude.
  • Satellites can be very small, 10 cm (4 inch) cubes, or very large space stations, the largest being the International Space Station.
  • Satellites can be in networks of multiple objects, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) network or a digital or media systems.
Satellite, Out of Space, sideways, Earth, Boeing to build 4 satellites for Asia Broadcast Satellite/Satmex team, Ten Random Facts, Flickr
Satellite
Image courtesy of The Boeing Company/Flickr
  • The earth is not the only body that has orbiting satellites, as the sun, the moon and other neighbouring planets have orbiting artificial objects.
  • Satellites can be destroyed by missile shootings, as Russia, the United States and China have all proven.
  • Satellites have many capabilities and purposes, from navigation, monitoring and observation purposes including the weather, communication facilities, photography uses and space station homes.
  • Satellites rarely collide in space, as they are launched into a satellite-avoiding orbit, and the first accidental collision was in 2009.
  • Satellites are usually fitted with technology like computers that make use of radio signals to send or transmit data to earth.
Bibliography:
Satellite, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satellite>
What is a Satellite?, 2010, NASA, <http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/5-8/features/what-is-a-satellite-58.html>

Amazon:  

Facial Tissue

By | |
1 Comment
Facial Tissue

Achoo! At least I have a facial tissue.

  • ‘Facial tissues’ are also known as ‘paper handkerchiefs’, ‘tissues’, ‘paper tissues’ and ‘Kleenex’, after a popular brand name.
  • Facial tissues are soft, lightweight disposable paper used for the face, typically to blow one’s nose.
  • Facial tissues act as a replacement of a handkerchief and have the advantage of being disposable, rather than needing washing, and are said to be more hygienic as the used cloths are not left in pockets.
  • Facial tissues are usually made totally of pulp from wood chips and chemicals that break the chips down.
  • People of Japan have used facial tissues for centuries, although Europeans first discovered the practice on a 17th century voyage.

Facial Tissues, Small, Box, Closed, Soft, Panda, Blue, orange, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • Kimberly-Clark Corporation invented modern facial tissues in 1924, calling them ‘Kleenex’, made for the purpose of removing makeup or cold cream.
  • Facial tissues can be printed, scented, covered with special lotions, and can be single, double or triple ply.
  • In 1926, a survey was conducted on the use of Kleenex facial tissue, and it was discovered that 60% of people were using the tissue to blow their nose, so Kimberly-Clark changed the way they marketed the product.
  • Facial tissues can be a flushable substitute of toilet paper or as a disposable substitute of a wiping cloth and can have various other uses around the home.
  • Facial tissues vary in size, from small to large, generally depending on the box the tissues are stored in, although a single tissue is generally palm or pocket sized.

 

Bibliography: Elizabeth J, Facial Tissue Facts, 2013, EHow, <http://www.ehow.com/about_5194620_facial-tissue.html>
Facial Tissue, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facial_tissue>

Amazon:     

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...