Tag Archives: Europe

Woolly Mammoth

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Woolly Mammoth

There is a lot of information about the extinct woolly mammoth.

  • Woolly mammoths are large, extinct mammals from prehistoric northern Europe, Asia and America, that are said to be relatives of Asian Elephants.
  • Woolly mammoths have the scientific name of Mammuthus primigenius and are one of ten species of mammoth from the family Elephantidae, the family of elephants and mammoths.
  • Woolly mammoths reached 1.8 to 4 metres (6 to 13 feet) in height and weighed up to 4 to 8 tonnes (4.4 to 8.8 tons); had dark hair coats coloured mostly black or brown; as well as small ears and short tails that reduced the chance of frostbite.
  • Woolly mammoths boast some of the most collected data of all prehistoric animals, due to extensive skeletons, preserved bodies, fossils and cave depictions.
  • Woolly mammoths had two long, sloped tusks that grew to be 1.5 to 4.2 metres (5 to 14 feet) in length, and three quarters were generally visible, while the tusks were probably used for defense and species fighting in the form of hitting.
Woolly Mammoth Royal BC Museum, Victoria, British Columbia, Fake, Replication, Musuem, Ten Random Facts, Flickr, MammalReplica of a Woolly Mammoth
Image courtesy of Rob Pongsajapan/Flickr
  • Woolly mammoths lived in large herds similar to today’s elephants, while weak and young mammoths were preyed on by pack dog species and large animals from the cat family, and the typical life span ranged from 25 to 80 years.
  • The diet of woolly mammoths probably consisted of vegetation including shrubs, trees, fruit, moss, nuts and smaller plants.
  • Woolly mammoths are often depicted in ancient cave paintings, while the bones were used by people to create human shelters and the tusks made into weapons and tools.
  • Woolly mammoths probably became extinct due to hunting and habitat changes, and the last mammoths probably lived isolated in the Arctic Ocean on Wrangel Island.
  • Some frozen woolly mammoths contain DNA that could possibly be extracted and cloned, although this popular theory is controversial, due to financial costs and ethical issues.
Bibliography:
Woolly Mammoth, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/woolly-mammoth/
Woolly Mammoth, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolly_mammoth

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Venice

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Venice

Venice is a city of history and water.

  • Venice is a city located in Europe, in the northeastern area of Italy, that is made of a lagoon, 118 islands, 177 canals and 409 bridges.
  • ‘Venice’ is also known as ‘La Dominante’, ‘City of Masks’, ‘Serenissima’, ‘City of Water’, ‘The Floating City’, ‘Queen of the Adriatic’, ‘City of Canals’ and ‘City of Bridges’.
  • Venice is considered as one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 due to the lagoon, canals and historical constructions.
  • Venice was the home to approximately 270,700 people in 2009, and the population count has been historically erratic due to the destructive Black Plague between the 14th to 17th centuries.
  • Venice was probably founded by numerous escapees of surrounding country invasions, and the first ruler, the doge, Paolo Lucio Anafesto, in 697 is believed to have been Exarch Paul.
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Part of Venice
Image courtesy of Diana Robinson/Flickr
  • From the 800s, Venice was a popular trade site, particularly once coastline pirates were defeated; and later it became well known for its famous aritsts, and it now has the most masterpieces per kilometre in the world.
  • Occasionally, Venice is flooded by high tides of the Adriatic Sea, known as ‘acqua alta’, and these especially high tides can increase water depths by up to 1.94 metres (6.36 feet), as recorded in 1966, although generally they are less than a 1.5 metre (4.9 feet) increase.
  • Historical Venice style buildings made from stone or brick, were generally built on timber poles that are embedded in clay, mud and sand, and they mostly remain in good condition, even though they have been submerged in water for hundreds of years.
  • Venice is a very popular tourist destination, with visitors attracted to the city’s incredible architecture and uniqueness, as well as the famous annual Carnival of Venice held early in the year, although the number of visitors, approximately 60,000 every day, has caused some controversy due to the sheer quantity and potential damage they can generate on various levels.
  • Typical transport in Venice includes gondolas and other boats that use the canals; automobiles and trains; and aircraft facilities are also available.
Bibliography:
Venice, 2014, Lonely Planet, http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/venice
Venice, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice
Venice and its Lagoon, 2014, UNESCO WHC, http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/394

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Hair Dryer

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Hair Dryer

Be careful not to mess up your hair with a hair dryer.

  • Hair dryers are electrical machines used to dry and evaporate water molecules in hair or other materials, using air flow.
  • A ‘hair dryer’ is also known as a ‘blowdryer’ and a ‘blow dryer’.
  • Hair dryers typically contain a motor that runs a fan, that blows air across hot, electricity-powered wires to produce a warm flow of air.
  • Hair dryers were first invented in 1888 by French hairstylist Alexandre Godefroy, and although his invention produced heat, it did not blow air.
  • Hair dryers are often made with attachments that may spread air, that helps to maintain hair shape; or focus air, which allows quicker drying.

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  • Early hair dryers were typically large and long, in an upside-down bowl shape, and were used by placing one’s head underneath the air-blowing opening.
  • Vacuum cleaners are said to have been used for hair drying purposes, before the introduction of hair dryers.
  • Hair dryers were originally designed from heavy materials including metal, but they became more practical and lightweight with the introduction of plastic.
  • A handheld hair dryer was invented by Gabriel Kazanjian, an inventor from America, in 1908, that used heated air flow with a fan, which is the basis of our modern devices.
  • Hair dryers resulted in hundreds of annual electrocutions up until significant legislation was set up in the 1970s and the 1990s, and due to the safety regulations, they are now considered a safe appliance to use with very few related deaths occurring.

 

Bibliography:
Gross J, Who made that hair dryer?, 2013, The New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/21/magazine/who-made-that-hair-dryer.html?_r=0
Hair Dryer, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hair_dryer

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Hazelnut Chocolate Spread

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Hazelnut Chocolate Spread

Spreadable chocolate and nuts is hazelnut chocolate spread.

  • Hazelnut chocolate spread, also known as ‘chocolate spread’, is a cocoa flavoured substance that is typically known by the famous brand name ‘Nutella’.
  • Hazelnut chocolate spread typically contains oil, sugar, cocoa, milk powder and hazelnuts, as well as a few other ingredients, and is usually made by extracting the cocoa and processing the hazelnuts, then mixing the items with the other ingredients, into a paste.
  • Hazelnut chocolate spread was first invented by Italian confectioner Pietro Ferrero, in Italy’s Piedmont, after World War II, to give people an affordable chocolate treat.
  • The first invented hazelnut chocolate spread was originally solid, known as ‘Pasta Gianduja’, which was first sold in 1946, and later altered so that it became spreadable, which was known as ‘Supercrema’ in 1951.
  • Hazelnut chocolate spread is commonly used on wheat-based items, such as bread, waffles, crumpets and scones.

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  • In 1964, ‘Supercrema’ was improved and released as ‘Nutella’, by Michele Ferrero, Pietro’s son, which is the original, and leading hazelnut chocolate spread brand.
  • Hazelnut chocolate spread has been previously marketed as a healthy item, due to the healthy hazelnuts, but generally the product actually contains a large quantity of sugar and fat.
  • Hazelnut chocolate spread was originally targeted at all ages, but later primarily at children, who are one of the main consumers of the spread.
  • Hazelnut chocolate spread is high in fat, sugar, and manganese and is a good source of vitamin E, copper and iron.
  • Although hazelnut chocolate spread originated in Italy, it entered the market in the United States of America in 1983, and it is now sold around the world under different names, recipes and brands, by different companies.

 

Bibliography:
History of Hazelnut Chocolate Spread, 2013, Nutilight, http://www.nutilight.com/#!HISTORY-ON-HAZELNUT-CHOCOLATE-SPREAD/cqpw/6136BBEF-617B-4315-9DA2-818B42B7439D
Mitzman D, Nutella: How the world went nuts for a hazelnut spread, 2014, BBC News Magazine, http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27438001
Nutella, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nutella

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Beaver

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Beaver

Do you beaver around a lot?

  • Beavers are rodents that are generally active at night, and their habitat is primarily water bodies in forest areas of North America, Europe and Asia.
  • Beavers spend significant quantities of time constructing and maintaining dams and other aquatic structures like lodges, that provide protection and housing, as well as water movement that allows resources to float, and they use trees that they cut down with their sharp teeth, as well as rocks, other vegetation and mud as their building materials.
  • Beavers have the scientific name Castor, while they are the only living members of the family Castoridae, and there are two extant species of beaver – Castor fiber which is known as the Eurasian species, and Castor canadensis, the North American species.
  • Beavers are able to move easily in water, and their diet consists of vegetation, particularly material from a variety of trees, including bark, leaves and twigs, as well as aquatic plants and sedges.
  • Beavers grow to lengths of 60 to 120 centimetres (23 to 47 inches), making them the second largest rodent on earth, and weigh 16 to 27 kilograms (35 to 60 pounds).
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Beavers
Image courtesy of flinchlake2000/Flickr
  • Beavers have beige, red-brown, brown, almost black, or grey fur; the back feet are webbed; they have see-through eyelids; and a flat tail that acts like a rudder and provides a loud warning when slapped against water.
  • Beavers live in families in their lodges that consist of as many as ten rodents, and they are preyed on by wolves, bears and lynxes, and the animal has a lifespan of 15 to 20 years, although they can live up to 24 years.
  • Beavers body parts have been used in traditional medicine; the secretions from their castor sacs or scent glands are used in the perfume industry and as a flavouring for food; and the fur coat is a commonly poached item.
  • It is illegal to hunt or kill beavers in some countries and areas, while in other places, including parts of the United States, it is legal to trap or shoot the animal.
  • When introduced without sufficient predators, beavers can overrun habitats, causing extensive forest removal, landscape change and water flow changes, as well as other problems, and they can be a pest on farms and properties.
Bibliography:
Beaver, 2013, A-Z Animals, http://a-z-animals.com/animals/beaver/
Beaver, 2014, National Geographic, http://animals.nationalgeographic.com.au/animals/mammals/beaver/
Beaver, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beaver

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Dill

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Dill

Isn’t dill play-on-words fun!?

  • Dill is a leafy herb that reaches heights of 40 to 60 centimetres (16 to 24 inches) and the plant is grown as an annual in full sun.
  • Dill is native to Europe’s east, Russia’s south, Africa and the Mediterranean, and it is the only species in the Anethum genus; its scientific name is Anethum graveolens.
  • Dill is from the family Apiaceae, that is also known as the Umbelliferae family, and it is the family of celery, parsley and carrots, and other hollow stem plants.
  • ‘Dill’ is derived from the Norse word ‘dilla’, meaning ‘to lull’ or the Old English word ‘dile’, and the names are a reference to the plant’s medicinal purposes.
  • Dill leaves are often used in seafood or soup dishes, as well as pickled items like cucumbers, and the seeds are used as a spice for flavouring.
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  • Oil can be obtained from the dill plant, which can be used to produce soap.
  • Dill has been used for thousands of years, and in England in the 5th to 11th centuries it was used to treat headaches, stomach illness, boils and nausea, and other sickness.
  • Fresh dill leaves are delicate and feathery and are typically coloured a bright green, while seeds are mustard to brown in colour.
  • Dill has a taste described typically as mild and warm, with a slight anise flavour, and the leaves have a milder flavour than the seeds.
  • Dill leaves are a very good source of vitamin C and vitamin A, and they contain many other vitamins and minerals, while the seeds are high in calcium.
Bibliography:
Dill (Anethum graveolens), 2014, Gourmet Garden, http://www.gourmetgarden.com/en/herb/252/dill
Dill, 2014, The World’s Healthiest Foods, http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=71
Dill, 2014, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dill

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