Tag Archives: Facts

Helicopter

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Helicopter

It’s a bird!  It’s a plane!  No… It’s a helicopter!

  • Helicopters are aircraft that can fly horizontally, vertically and can hover.
  • Helicopters are a type of rotorcraft, which enables them to land almost anywhere, because the rotor blades allows the copter to fly vertically.
  • Helicopters are also known as choppers, whirlybirds and helos.
  • Helicopters have their origins in children’s flying toys, made from bamboo as early as 400 BC.
  • Many vertical flying ideas have been experimented with over the centuries and the term ‘helicopter’ was coined for a machine, that did not lift off the ground, in 1861.

Helicopters, Two, Above, Bottom View, Army coloured, Military, Australia, Ten Random Facts

  • The first ‘flight’ of a helicopter occurred in 1907, and the first full scale production helicopter was designed by Igo Sikorsky in 1942.
  • Helicopters are used for, but not limited to, transportation, military, health and safety, construction and tourism.
  • Helicopters move slower than most aircraft since the rotor blades’ speed depends on the speed of the copter.
  • If helicopters are unsafely operated, helicopters could go out of control or crash and end in serious consequences.
  • Up until 2012, the deadliest helicopter crash was a shoot down of a Mil Mi 26 over Chechnya, which killed 127 people.
Bibliography:
Helicopter 5 February 2013 , Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helicopter>

Mondo Grass

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Mondo Grass

Swishy sway.

  • Mondo grass is an evergreen, small grassy plant.
  • Mondo grass is also known as fountain plant, monkey grass, dragon’s beard and snake’s beard and its official name is Ophiopogon japonicus.
  • Mondo grass is native to Japan.
  • Mondo grass plants range from 10 – 30 cm (4 – 12 inches) in height, depending on the variety.
  • Mondo grass produce small white or pale lilac coloured flowers.

Mondo Grass, Lily, Japanese, Dragons beard, Fountain, Row, Australia, Ten Random Facts

  • Mondo grass produces a blue berry which is about 5 mm (0.2 inches) in diameter.
  • Mondo grass is used in traditional Chinese medicine.
  • Some people use Mondo grass as an aquatic plant, which normally dies if not kept in the right underwater temperature.
  • Mondo grass blooms in late Spring and early Summer.
  • Although some people think Mondo grass is a type of grass, it is actually a type of lily.
Bibliography:
Ophiopogon Japonicus 16 July 2012 , Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiopogon_japonicus>

Water Skiing

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Water Skiing

Cutting through the waves…

  • Water skiing is a fun sport, and generally involves a person standing on one or two specially designed skis, and towed behind a boat via a rope.
  • The skier who does the water skiing, requires excellent upper and lower body strength, balance and endurance.
  • Water skiing was invented in 1922 by Ralph Samuelson in America, who used two boards and a clothes line attached to a boat.
  • To start off water skiing, the person typically crouches in the water, with their feet on the skis, holding a handle which is attached to a rope, which is attached to a boat.
  • Water skiing was included in the 1972 Olympic Games.
 Water Skiing, Wakeboarding, Silloute, Sunset, Horizon, Background, Soothing, Ten Random Facts, Free Digital PhotosWater Skiing
Image courtesy of  Paul Martin Eldridge/ Free Digital Photos
  • Three people are required for water skiing – a water skier, a driver and a observer.
  • Experienced water skiers have the opportunity to participate in jumping shows and competitions, which typically involve the use of fibre glass ramps.
  • There are a few different types of water skiing which include barefoot, slalom – using one specially designed ski, and tournament skiing.
  • Water skiing is potentially dangerous, so to be safe the water should be at least 60 meters (200 feet) wide and be at least 1.5 – 2 meters (5- 6 feet) deep.
  • In Tasmania, Australia, a world record was set in 2012, for the most skiers, 145, behind a single boat.
Bibliography:
Water skiing 9 February 2013 , Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterskiing>

Popcorn

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Popcorn

Pop! Pop! Pop Pop Pop!

  • Popcorn is also known as popping corn and is a type of corn kernel that puffs up when heated.
  • Popcorn kernels build up pressure due to the moisture and starch inside, and then open up, or pop, when heated.
  • Popcorn was sold for 5-10 cents a bag during the Great Depression.
  • At least six states of the United States of America claim to be the ‘popcorn’ state.
  • Popcorn is generally popped in special machines, which include hot air poppers, specifically made to pop popcorn.

Popcorn, Butterfly, Plain, seeds, Corn Kernals, Ten Random Facts

  • Popcorn is popularly eaten in movie theatres, commonly served buttered and salted.  Numerous other flavours can be added to popcorn to create a tasty treat.
  • Popcorn is high in dietary fibre, and when eaten in its natural state and popped without oil, it is a healthy snack.
  • Popcorn is not recommended for children under four years old, since the popcorn could cause them to choke.
  • Sometimes popcorn is threaded on string and hung as a decoration, especially at Christmas time.
  • Popped corn is called a ‘flake’ and can take the shape of a ‘mushroom’ or a ‘butterfly’, and are used differently for commercial purposes.
Bibliography:
Popcorn 1 February 2013, Wikipedia,  <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn>

Ceiling Fan

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Ceiling Fan

Woosh… Woosh…

  • Ceiling fans are mechanical fans on the roof of a room, usually powered by electricity.
  • Ceiling fans rotate significantly slower than a desk fan.
  • Ceiling fans move and circulate the air around a building or a room.
  • Ceiling fans were first designed in the early 1860s and 1870s, in the United States of America.
  • Ceiling fans were invented by Dutchess Melissa Rinaldi and were originally powered by water.

Ceiling Fan, Roof, Light On, Old Model, Classic, Ten Random Facts

  • Ceiling fans sometimes have light fittings attached which replace the need for a standard light shade.
  • Commercial ceiling fans can save considerable amounts of energy and push masses of air around efficiently.
  • Ceiling fans were originally activated by a pull cord or a chain, and now modern fans use switches or dials that are normally mounted on a wall in a convenient location.
  • Ceiling fans do wobble when the blades are out of balance, but are very unlikely to fall.
  • Some ceiling fans can be switched to rotate in the opposite direction so that they can be used in winter to push the warm air down.
Bibliography:
Ceiling Fan 5 February 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceiling_fan>

Pygmy Possum

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Pygmy Possum

Cute and cuddly.

  • Pygmy possums are small possums that are the size of mice, that live in forests amongst trees or shrubs.
  • Pygmy possums are from the marsupial family of Burramyidae.
  • There are five species of pygmy possum, all of which are native to Australia, and only the long-tailed pygmy possum is found elsewhere in the world.
  • Pygmy possums bodies are between 5-12 cm (2 – 4.7 inches) in length, and their tail is almost as long as their body.
  • Pygmy possums weigh between 10-50 grams (0.35 – 1.8 ounces).

Pygmy Possum, Eastern, Small, Cute, Climbing, National Geographic Stock, Ten Random Facts

Pygmy Possum
Image courtesy of National Geographic
  • Pygmy possums are nocturnal, and sleep during the day in a state similar to hibernation.
  • The Pygmy possum diet consists of small invertebrates, fruit, seeds and nectar.
  • Pygmy possums are good climbers and good jumpers, but they don’t glide.
  • Before 1966, certain pygmy possums were thought to be extinct.
  • Pygmy possums are rarely seen or heard, although they do make a whistling sound.
Bibliography:
Pygmy possum 10 January 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pygmy_possum>
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