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Shot Put

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Shot Put

‘Elbow up, thumb down, palm out’ is how you put.

  • Shot put is an athletic event when you ‘put’ or ‘throw’ a heavy, spherical metal ball.
  • Shot put appeared in the Olympic Games for men in 1896, and for women in 1948.
  • The first recorded competitions of shot put were in the 1800’s, in Scotland.
  • Modern shot probably came about from the competitions that soldiers had in the Middle Ages, involving the throwing of cannon balls.
  • The shot (ball) can be made from many materials including  iron, cast iron, solid or stainless steel or brass.
Shot Put, Lady, action, Orange, Ball, Putting, Circle, 2010, Sangudo, Flickr, Ten Random Facts
Shot Put
Image courtesy of Sangudo/Flickr
  • The shot is thrown with a pushing action, with one hand.
  • A shot put athlete stands in a typical 2.1 meter (7 ft) diameter circle and throws the shot as far as they can within the throwing area or sector.
  • A shot can range from 1 to 7 kg (2.2 lbs to 16lbs) in weight.
  • Shot put records have been set by Randy Barnes, 23.12 meters (75.85 ft), for men and Aratalya Lisovshaya, 22.63 meters (74.25 ft).
  • In shot put, any shot that lands outside a sector, the throwing area, equals a foul.
Bibliography:
Shot Put 22 January 2013 , Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_put>

Coca-Cola

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Coca-Cola

One of the most popular drinks in the world: Coca-Cola.

  • Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink that is also known as Coke.
  • Coca-Cola is sold as a concentrate to licensed Coca-Cola bottlers, and then distributed throughout more than 200 countries and sold in shops, restaurants and vending machines.
  • The Coca-Cola Company has produced many flavours Coca-Cola, including cherry, vanilla, lemon and the traditional cola. Some flavours are exclusive to some countries.
  • Coca-Cola was invented  by John Pemberton in 1886, as a non-alcoholic version of Pemberton’s French Wine Coca, a coca wine, and was made at the Eagle Drug and Chemical Company.
  • In 1894, the first outdoor Coca-Cola advertisement was painted on a wall in Cartersville, Georgia.

Coca-Cola, Coke, Can, Bottle, Full, Ten Random Facts

  • In 1985, the Coca-Cola Company attempted to change it’s recipe, but it was rejected by the public.
  • Coca-Cola was named ‘Coca-Cola’ due to the fact the original main ingredients were cocaine, which came from the cocoa leaf, and caffeine which came from the kola nut.
  • The famous Coca-Cola logo with its characteristic script was designed by Frank Robinson, the bookkeeper of John Pemberton.
  • Coca-Cola was originally made as a medicine, and Pemberton claimed it cured a number of illnesses.
  • Coca-Cola was the first, and still is, commercial sponsor of the Olympic Games since 1928.
Bibliography:
Coca-Cola 7 January 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coca-Cola>

LEGO

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LEGO

Just add some more… and more.

  • LEGO is a construction toy consisting of interlocking building bricks and accessories.  It is extremely versatile in that it can be pulled apart and put back together an unlimited number of times, and placed together in endless ways.
  • LEGO was originally a company that made wooden toys and blocks, and was started and owned by Ole Kirk Kristiansen.
  • The original LEGO bricks were invented in 1949 and were called Automatic Binding Bricks.  They were renamed to Lego Mursten (Lego Bricks) in 1953 .
  • In 1957 an improved brick was produced, the modern LEGO brick, and was first patented on January 28, 1958.
  • The first Legoland park (a LEGO themed fun park) was opened in Billund on June 7th, 1968. Over 625, 000 people visited the park that year.

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  • Two eight stud LEGO bricks can be combined in 24 ways,  three can be combined in 1,060 ways, six can be placed together in 915, 103, 765 and eight can be put together in an almost unlimited amount of ways.
  • 36 billion LEGO bricks are manufactured every year, all of which start off as tiny plastic scraps.
  • There are over 4,200 LEGO brick elements and shapes, including minifigures (minifigs), which are LEGO sized people that can be pulled apart and reconstructed.  This does not include the wide variety of colours available.
  • 40 billion standard LEGO bricks stacked in a vertical position would be enough to reach the moon.
  • To make a LEGO set, a LEGO designer builds a virtual version on a computer and then constructs it using real bricks. This process is repeated over and over until the set is perfect.
Bibliography:
Lipkow, D 2012, The Lego Book, Dorling Kindersley, London

Flying Lizard

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Flying Lizard

A special lizard.

  • Flying lizards are a family of lizards called ‘Draco’ which includes 31 different species.  They are also known as flying dragons.
  • Flying lizards spread out their skin and move their movable ribs – ‘wings’, which enables them to glide.
  • Flying lizards can’t fly with its ‘wings’, only glide.
  • Flying lizards can reach up to 35 cm (9.1 inches) in length, which includes its tail.
  • The ‘wings’ of the flying lizard have various coloured patterns, often in bright colours like orange, blue and red, which provide camouflage.

Draco Volans, Flying Dragon, Flying Lizard, Flickr, smallislander, Ten Random Facts

 Draco
Image courtesy of SmallIslander/Flickr
  • Flying lizards eat insects, particularly ants and termites.
  • The only time flying lizards land on the ground is to lay eggs.  They dig holes in the soil and lay one to four eggs in the hole.
  • Flying lizards can glide up to 60 metres, depending on the species.
  • Flying lizards are native to the Asia and India tropics.
  • Flying lizards are terrestrial since they claim one to three trees as there property.
Bibliography:
Draco volans 4 October, 2012, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Draco_(genus)>

The Muppets

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The Muppets

Ever heard of Kermit the Frog or Miss Piggy?

  • The Muppets are puppets, used in various sketch comedies.
  • The concept of the Muppets was created in 1955 by Jim Henson and is now owned by The Walt Disney Company.
  • Kermit the Frog, the Muppets signature puppet, was one of the first Muppets created and is stilled used in the modern Muppets.
  • After the success of Jim Henson’s Muppets on Sesame Street in 1969 and early 70s, Henson decided to create a television show aimed at adults and children, The Muppet Show.
  • Muppets were first seen on a show called Sam and Friends which began in the 1950s.

Muppets, Disney, The Muppet Show, The Great Muppet Caper, The Muppet Movie, Animal, Sam the eagle, Three, Movies, Video Cassette, The Best of the Muppets, Ten Random Facts

  • In 1976, The Muppet Show was created, and new Muppets were introduced, including Miss Piggy, the Great Gonzo and Fuzzie Bear.
  • The design of the Muppets are wide mouths and large eyes and were coined “Muppets” by Jim Hensen who said the word came from “marionette” and “puppet”.
  • The Muppets are performed by Muppeteers holding the Muppets in one hand and using the other hand, they move arms and hands. Sometimes modern technology is involved, so that the Muppeteers can be removed and the Muppets can appear to ride bikes or boats.
  • The Muppets is now owned by The Walt Disney Company, who purchased the rights and trademarks of the Muppets in 2004.
  • Walt Disney have released videos of the Muppets on You Tube and plan to release a new Muppet movie in 2014.
Bibliography:
The Muppets 19 January 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Muppets>

Eiffel Tower

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Eiffel Tower

La Tour Eiffel: “The Eiffel Tower” in French!

  • The Eiffel Tower is a steel framework tower located in Paris, France.
  • The Eiffel Tower is named after Gustave Eiffel who was an engineer and owned the company that built the tower.
  • The Eiffel Tower is the largest structure in Paris, but not in France, standing 320 meters (1,050 feet) in height which is approximately the height of an 81 storey building.  It weighs approximately 10,000 tonnes.
  • The Eiffel Tower saw 7.1 million visitors in 2011, and it is the most popular ticketed monument in the world.  It had seen 250 million visitors by 2010.
  • The Eiffel Tower has three floors and nine elevators.
Eiffel TowerEiffel Tower
Image courtesy of Matt Banks/ Free Digital Photos
  • The Eiffel Tower construction started in 1887 and was finished in 1889. The grand opening was on the 31st of March 1889, and was made for the World Fair that year.
  • 300 workers were first hired to construct the Eiffel Tower and during the two years of construction, there was only one worker death.
  • The names of 72 male French scientists and engineers, as well as other notable people, were first engraved on the Eiffel Tower when it was built.  The names were painted over in the 20th century, and were then restored in 1986 – 1987.
  • Every seven years, the Eiffel Tower is painted over with 50-60 tonnes of paint to prevent rust.
  • The Eiffel Tower is the home of two restaurants: Le 58 Tour Eiffel and Le Jules Verne and at the top is a broadcaster for television and radio.
Bibliography:
Eiffel Tower January 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eiffel_Tower>
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