Tag Archives: Europe

Lawn Mower

By | |
4 Comments
Lawn Mower

Now you can mow your lawn with knowledge with these lawn mower facts!

  • Lawn mowers are mechanical or robotic devices used to cut grass, often lawns or grass fields, using blades.
  • Lawn mowers can be powered by hand, electricity or a fuel motor.
  • Lawn mower blades generally spin on a vertical or horizontal axis, and are named ‘rotary mowers’ and ‘reel mowers’ respectively.
  • Lawn mowers were first patented in 1830, by Englishman Edwin Budding, from England’s Gloucestershire in Europe, to replace the scythe, and Budding’s invention was inspired by the cloth cross-cutting machines that were used in the local mills.
  • Reel lawn mowers often have three to seven ribbon like blades that are connected together in a cylindrical formation, while those with rotary blades are typically limited to one relatively flat blade that attaches to the underneath of the machine.

Lawn Mower, Red, Black, Mechanical, Fuel, Lawn, Mow, Grass, Ten Random Facts, Backyard, hand

  • Steam powered lawn mowers were first patented in 1893 by James Sumner in England, although they could only be used after a few hours of heating to allow for pressure buildup.
  • Lawn mowers can propel items like stones, at high speed, that can cause damage, and while many other mowing related injuries can be prevented from wearing correct footwear, in 2004, at least 80,000 people in the United States were injured by mowers or mowing activity.
  • Many lawn mowers emit high quantities of pollution, comparable to domestic cars, and often produce loud noises that can be irritating and damage hearing.
  • Lawn mowers often consist of a motor, blades and a box called a ‘catcher’ that collects grass cuttings, although hand powered reel bladed machines typically have blades and a handle, and sometimes a catcher, although a motor is absent.
  • Ride-on mowers, that allow for a person to sit on the machine, are useful for mowing large areas, while robotic lawn mowers are becoming increasingly popular and only require minimal human interaction.
Bibliography:
Lawn Mower, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawn_mower
Mower History, 2014, The Old Lawn Mower Club, http://www.oldlawnmowerclub.co.uk/mowinfo/mowhist.htm

Amazon:     

Croissant

By | |
Leave a comment
Croissant

Do you eat croissants for breakfast?

  • Croissants are puffy bakery food items that are typically flaky and buttery in texture, that are usually tan or light brown in colour.
  • Croissants are said to have been derived from a yeast-dough pastry named ‘kipfel’, in Austria, Europe, that may have its origins as early as the 1200s, although it is possible that they did not exist until the 1600s.
  • Croissants are mainly made with butter and a bread like dough containing yeast, and can be filled and flavoured with numerous foods including chocolate, nut, ham, cheese, dried fruits and apple
  • Croissants are traditionally crescent in shape, but can be spherical or cylindrical, and the typical shape is said to have originated from the Austrian kipfel.
  • Croissants are popularly eaten during breakfast, commonly sold as a type of fast food, and are often sold frozen so that they can be thawed and heated at home.

Croissant, Golden, Cooked, Bakery, Delicious, Flakey, Batch, Ten Random Facts, Food, Flickr, Invention

Croissants
Image courtesy of Zdenko Zivkovic/Flickr
  • There are many legends regarding the history of the croissant, and the most popular is that it originates in the late 1600s, when bakers created crescent shaped pastries based on the Turkish flag, due to the Turks having been defeated by their enemies.
  • The term ‘croissant’ was named after the French word for ‘crescent’, referring to the traditional shape.
  • While the origin of croissants is uncertain, they were probably introduced to France in the late 1830s, by officer August Zang from Austria, in a bakery that he owned and was located in France’s Paris, in Europe.
  • Croissants are typically made by folding butter into dough, rolling the dough into sheets, and then continuing the folding and rolling process known as ‘laminating’, before cutting and rolling into a crescent shape and baking in an oven.
  • Croissants have significant quantities of sodium, selenium, folate and thiamin and are also high in fat.
Bibliography:
Croissant, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croissant
Origins of the Croissant, 2009, The Hungarian Girl, http://thehungariangirl.com/2009/08/12/history-of-the-croissant/
Olver, L, FAQs: Bread, 2014, Food Timeline, http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodbreads.html#croissants

Amazon:      

Cliffs of Étretat

By | |
1 Comment
Cliffs of Étretat

The white coloured cliffs of Étretat are very picturesque.

  • The cliffs of Étretat are numerous sea cliffs and rock formations located in Étretat, Upper Normandy, in Europe’s northern France.
  • The cliffs of Étretat are a common site visited for inspiration for both literature and art purposes; while notable visitors have included Victor Hugo, writer of ‘Les Misérables’, and famous artists like Claude Monet and Gustave Courbet.
  • The cliffs of Étretat are part of a stunning coastline along the English Channel, known as ‘La Côte d’Albâtre’, ‘The Albâtre Coast’ or ‘The Alabaster Coast’ that spans a distance of approximately 130 kilometres (80 miles), and is virtually a long wall of cliff.
  • The cliffs of Étretat are at least 70 metres (230 feet) high and are primarily coloured white to a light grey colour.
  • The cliffs of Étretat is one of the most popular tourist areas along the Alabaster Coast, as it is home to a 50 metre (164 foot) high needle-shaped rock formation, named the ‘Needle’, as well as three large natural arches and a beach area.
Cliffs of Etretat, Sea, White, Needle, arch, Rock, Europe, Ten Random Facts, Flickr, Landform
Part of the Cliffs of Étretat
Image courtesy of Frenlarreo/Flickr
  • The cliffs of Étretat mostly contain chalk and limestone, as well as flint, with the chalk giving the cliffs their vivid white colour.
  • Water sports are popular at the cliffs of Étretat, and due to strong winds atop the cliffs, air gliding is a common sport performed in the area.
  • The cliffs of Étretat were formed primarily by erosion from wind, rain and ocean waves, and coastal erosion is still significant due to the soft chalk.
  • The cliffs of Étretat are the home to seagulls, and the ocean area was once a prime fishing spot and was also used for oyster farming.
  • The cliffs of Étretat are situated next to the fishing village of Étretat, which has become a popular tourist destination and tourism has become one of the main sources of income in the area.
Bibliography:
Beautiful Heights, Sea Cliffs, Etretat, France, 2014, Planet Den, http://planetden.com/nature/beautiful-heights-sea-cliffs-etretat-france
Cliffs, n.d, Etretat, http://www.etretat.net/office-de-tourisme-etretat/modules/content/content.php?page=falaises&lang=en
Étretat, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89tretat
Vallois T, Normandy’s White Cliffs, 2012, France Today, http://www.francetoday.com/articles/2012/08/04/normandy_s_white_cliffs.html

Amazon:      

Chamois

By | |
Leave a comment
Chamois

Is a chamois a mountain climbing goat or antelope?

  • Chamois are mammals originating in Europe’s mountainous habitats, and they have an appearance similar to a goat and antelope.
  • Chamois are one of two species in the Rupicapra genus and they have the scientific name Rupicapra rupicapra.
  • The diet of a chamois consists of vegetation including grass, bark, herbs, leaves and shrubs, and they are generally 70 to 80 centimetres (28 to 31 inches) in height and weigh between 25 to 60 kilograms (55 to 132 pounds).
  • Chamois are part of the subfamily Caprinae, or group of caprids or goat-antelopes that includes domestic sheep and goats, that in turn, are from the Bovidae family, the family of horned and cloven hoofed mammals.
  • A chamois is typically brown to grey or black in colour with black and white prominent markings, including a black stripe on its back, and the fur colour changes according to the seasons.
Chamois, Mammal, Hill, Travel, Horns, Lessinia, Ten Random Facts, Flickr
Chamois
Image courtesy of Umberto Nicoletti/Flickr
  • Female chamois generally live with their young in small groups of up to 30, although in winter they can reach numbers of up to 100; while the mostly solitary males attract these females by engaging in fellow male duels.
  • The lifespan of a chamois ranges from 15 to 17 years, and up to 22 in captivity, with main predators being lynxes, eagles, brown bears and wolves.
  • Chamois are hunted for their meat, fur and/or hide, while the latter is used to make smooth, liquid-absorbing leather known by the same name, although hunting is typically illegal.
  • Chamois can leap up to 2 metres (6.6 feet) high and 6 metres (20 ft) in length, and can move at speeds of 50 kilometres per hour (31 miles per hour).
  • Eight chamois originating from Austria,were deliberately introduced into the mountain regions of the South Island of New Zealand in the Pacific in 1907, with another two in 1914, and they have been legally hunted there since 1930.
Bibliography:
Chamois, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/chamois/
Chamois, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamois
Huffman, B, Rupicapra rupicapra: Chamois, 2004, Ultimate Ungulate, http://www.ultimateungulate.com/artiodactyla/rupicapra_rupicapra.html

Amazon:     

Scorpion

By | |
Leave a comment
Scorpion

You’ll regret being stung by a scorpion.

  • Scorpions are anthropods belonging to the order Scorpiones, which is also their scientific name, that consists of 13 families and approximately 1750 species, plus around 110 that are extinct.
  • Scorpions have two claw-shaped pedipalps; a long segmented body, and a long segmented erect tail, tipped with a stinger and venom.
  • Scorpions are related to spiders, and of the thousands of species, only around 25 to 40 can actually cause a human fatality, and they are preyed on by birds, lizards, rodents and possums.
  • Scorpions are native worldwide, with the exception of Antarctica, although they were introduced to some Pacific Islands, including New Zealand, as well as Europe’s Great Britain.
  • Scorpions can be found in a wide variety of habitats, and typically live in holes in the ground or other similar shelters during the day, and are active during the night.
Scorpion, Yellow, Orange, Arthropod, Close, Animal, Ten Random Facts, Flickr, Amazing
Scorpion
Image courtesy of Matt Reinbold/Flickr
  • Scorpions are capable of living up to a year without food, and their diet mainly consists of insects, spiders and some small reptiles and mammals, that are trapped via their pincers and/or dangerous venom; and they liquidize their prey before consumption.
  • Scorpions produce from 1 to 105 young over a period of a few weeks, while the young are dependent on their mother and live on her back until their first moult.
  • Scorpions are fried and traditionally consumed in Asia’s China, where a wine made from the creature is also used as medicine.
  • Scorpions range from less than 1 centimetre (0.4 inches) in length, to 21 centimetres (08.3 inches) and weigh 10 to 100 grams (0.4 to 3.5 ounces).
  • Scorpions are typically coloured black, white, red, brown or yellow, and when placed underneath an ultraviolet light, they may emit a fluorescent colour.
Bibliography:
Scorpion, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/scorpion/
Scorpion, 2014, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/bugs/scorpion/
Scorpion, 2014, San Diego Zoo, http://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/scorpion
Scorpion, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpion

Amazon:     

Napkin

By | |
Leave a comment

How would you politely wipe your face without a napkin?

  • Napkins are pieces of material used to politely remove food from one’s face and hands.
  • ‘Napkins’ are also known as ‘face towels’ and ‘serviettes’, and are most commonly manufactured white, as the colour symbolises cleanliness and gives a fresh feel.
  • Napkins are typically made from fabric, that can be washed and reused; or paper, that are usually disposed of after use.
  • Napkins are often square or rectangular in shape; often patterned in design; and are commonly folded for aesthetic purposes.
  • ‘Napkin’ derives from the word ‘nape’, the Old French word for a tablecloth or towel, that originally comes from the Latin word for map, ‘mappa’, and ‘kin’ is the word for ‘little’ in Middle English.

Napkin, White, Paper, Disposable, Pile, Ten Random Facts, Many, Culinary, Invention

  • For table settings, napkins are generally placed to the left of the fork on the table; in the middle of a plate; wrapped around cutlery; grouped together in a specially designed holder; or placed in a ring usually to the left of the fork.
  • Early napkins are believed to have originated as slices of a type of bread, used by those from ancient Greece; ancient Chinese used paper; while ancient Romans are said to have used cloth, that eventually became popular by the 1500s.
  • Napkins normally range in sizes of 13 by 13 centimetres (5 by 5 inches), up to 51 by 56 centimetres (20 by 22 inches).
  • Napkins come in a variety of colours and patterns, can be customised with text and imagery, and are not always strictly a rectangular or square shape.
  • Napkins are often folded into triangles, but also many other shapes, often utilising origami methods to create flowers. cranes and other designs, and paper ones are often purchased already folded in quarters.
Bibliography:
Napkin, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napkin
Napkins, 2014, Napkin Folding Styles, http://www.napkinfoldingstyles.com/napkins/

Amazon:     

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...