Tag Archives: People

Thomas Edison

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Thomas Edison

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work” – Thomas Edison

  • Thomas Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, United States on February 11, 1847, and his full name was ‘Thomas Alva Edison’ and was also known as the ‘Wizard of Menlo Park’.
  • Thomas Edison was an American inventor who invented the practical electrical light bulb, the phonograph and other communication items, including moving images, although these were only some of Edison’s 1000 inventions.
  • Many of Thomas Edison’s inventions shaped the way we live today which caused him to be dubbed ‘the greatest inventor ever’, and during his lifetime he was the most prolific inventor in known history, a position he held through the 1900s.
  • Thomas Edison became a telegraph operator as a young teenager, due to receiving the training as a reward for saving a young boy from death by a train, and he went on to become a successful businessman, founding 14 companies during his lifetime.
  • Thomas Edison caught scarlet fever when he was young, which contributed to poor hearing, and later, deafness.

Thomas Edison, Image, Portrait, Many, Inventor, Lightbulb, Ten Random Facts, Ohio, America, Flickr

Portraits
Image courtesy of Intel Free Press/Flickr
  • In 2013, Thomas Edison ranked 4th for ‘the most prolific inventor in the world’, with 1093 patents.
  • Thomas Edison married Mary Stilwell in 1871, who died later in 1884, and had three children, and after Mary’s death, married Mina Miller in 1886, and had three more children.
  • Thomas Edison constructed a laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey, named the ‘Menlo Park Laboratory’, which contained virtually every material available and he was the recipient of a number of various medals and awards during his lifetime.
  • Thomas Edison, the youngest of 7, was a very curious child, and ended up being schooled at home by his mother due to his wandering mind and many questions which weren’t welcome at the school he attended for 3 months.
  • Thomas Edison died aged 84, on 18 October 1931 from complications of diabetes, in the house that was his wedding gift to his wife Mina, in West Orange, New Jersey, United States.
Bibliography:
Beals G, The Bibliography of Thomas Edison, 1999, Thomas Edison.com, http://www.thomasedison.com/biography.html
Thomas Edison, 2013, Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison

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Mother Teresa

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Mother Teresa

“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” – Mother Teresa

  • ‘Mother Teresa’ is also known as ‘Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, M.C’, MC being for ‘Missionaries of Charity’.
  • Mother Teresa was a Roman-catholic nun, whose real name was ‘Anjezë Gonxhe Bojaxhiu’.
  • Mother Teresa started a a charity, named Missionaries of Charity, in 1950, which helped the dejected and ‘poorest of the poor’, and can now be found in numerous countries throughout the world.
  • Mother Teresa was known for her work amongst poverty, receiving over 120 awards including the Noble Peace Prize in 1979.
  • Mother Teresa was born on 26 August, 1910, in what is now called the Republic of Macedonia, Europe, to Albanian parents, but spent most of her life in India.
Mother Teresa, Collage, Holding kid, Nun, White, Old, Pray, Books, Colour, Black and white, Ten Random Facts, FlickrBlessed Teresa
Image courtesy of Peta de Aztlan/Flickr
  • Mother Teresa suffered a number of heart attacks from 1983, before her death, caused by an attack, on 5 September 1997.
  • Mother Teresa left her family home at 18 years of age, and became a nun in 1931, choosing the name ‘Thérèse’, or ‘Teresa’ in Spanish after the patron saint of missionaries, Thérèse de Lisieux and became known as ‘Mother Teresa’ on the 24 May 1937, when she took her final vows.
  • Mother Teresa could clearly and confidently speak five languages, being English, Hindi, Albanian, Bengali and Serbon-Croatian.
  • Mother Teresa has a public holiday in Albania named after herself, celebrated on 19 October and known as ‘Mother Teresa Day’.
  • Mother Teresa was involved in a convent school in Calcutta for nearly 20 years, until 1948, being a teacher and later the principal at the school.
Bibliography:
Mother Teresa, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_Teresa
Short Biography, n.d, Mother Teresa of Calcutta Center, http://www.motherteresa.org/layout.html

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Ribbon

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Ribbon

Tie up that ribbon.

  • Ribbons are generally thin strips of a cloth but are sometimes manufactured from or include metal or plastic.
  • Ribbons are often made of silk, polyester, nylon and cotton, and common types include satin, wire-edged, velvet and grosgrain.
  • ‘Ribbon’ comes from the Middle English or Old French words ‘ribban’ or ‘ruban’ respectively.
  • Ribbons are cloth strips that are between 0.32 to 30 centimetres (0.125 to 12 inches) in width.
  • Ribbons are an ancient invention, and were manufactured in France as early as 1000 AD.

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  • Ribbons are often used as a body accessory, decoration for gifts, for tying objects in place, an adornment on clothes, as recognition of a place-getter in a competition or an award, and is a popular hair accessory.
  • Ribbons are often used as symbols, commonly worn for awareness, with symbolic colours such as red for AIDS awareness.
  • During the 1500s, in England, there was an attempt at restricting the wearing of ribbons only to those who were noble or of importance.
  • Ribbons are generally made from spun and woven fine threads, and once they are woven, they are usually rolled onto a spool ready for sale or use.
  • In the 1600s, ribbons were the fashion, appearing on many wearable items of both male and female.
Bibliography:
How to make Ribbon, n.d, How To, http://www.madehow.com/Volume-3/Ribbon.html
Ribbon, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ribbon

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Human Ear

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Human Ear

Your ear helps you hear.

  • Ears are located in the middle of either side of a human’s head.
  • Ears are the only hearing organs in the human body, functioning mainly to receive sound, but also help maintain balance.
  • The visible portion of an ear is part of the outer ear, and is called an ‘ear flap’, ‘auricle’ or ‘pinna’.
  • The ear flap or pinna provides protection for the internal parts of the ear, and it also collects and helps to transport sound to the inner ear.
  • Ears consist of three main sections – the inner ear, middle ear, and outer ear.

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  • Human’s hear due to sounds being channeled through the ear to the eardrum, which vibrates three small bones that cause vibrations into a fluid in the cochlea, where 20,000 nerve cells send messages to the brain.
  • Earaches and sometimes other pains in the ears, are caused when the tube that removes mucus and helps control pressure, the Eustachian tube, is blocked by cold.
  • Rough treatment of the visible ear can cause deformation, or a ‘cauliflower’ appearance, due to blood cutting off nutrients, killing parts of the organ.
  • Glands in the ear create earwax or cerumen, which is a yellow substance that helps clean and protect the organ.
  • Piercing the earlobe, visible at the bottom of the ear flap, is and has been a common practise in the past millenniums, although too much pressure on the earlobe can cause it to tear.

 

Bibliography:
Ear, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ear
The Human Ear, 2013, The Physics Classroom, http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/sound/u11l2d.cfm

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William Shakespeare

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William Shakespeare

“The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” – William Shakespeare.

  • William Shakespeare has no known birth date, but was baptised on 26 April, 1564, and died on 23 April, 1616, and spent most of his life at Stratford-upon-Avon in England.
  • William Shakespeare was a tragic and romantic genre playwright and poet, most active in 1589 to 1613, and is commonly said to be one of the best English writers of all time.
  • ‘William Shakespeare’ is also known as the ‘Bard of Avon’, the ‘Swan of Avon’ and ‘England’s native poet’.
  • William Shakespeare married at the age of 18 to 26 year old Anne Hathaway, and later had three children (one died young), who all had children that didn’t have any offspring.
  • William Shakespeare officially wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets and many poems, and took part in writing many other works.

William Shakespeare, Portrait, Painting, Art, Playwrite, Ten Random Facts, Flickr

Shakespeare
Image courtesy of Books18/Flickr
  • William Shakespeare’s birth date is celebrated on Saint George’s Day, 23 April, coincidentally the same day he died, due to a scholar’s mistake in the 1700s.
  • According to William Shakespeare’s will, most of Shakespeare’s property was given to his eldest child.
  • William Shakespeare’s works have influenced many authors, including Charles Dickens and Thomas Hardy, and Shakespeare’s language has influenced the modern English language.
  • Famous works of William Shakespeare include Romeo and Juliet, and Hamlet.
  • William Shakespeare’s works grew in significant popularity in the 1800s, although the work was popular in his time.
Bibliography:
William Shakespeare, 2013, Bio, http://www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323?page=1
William Shakespeare, 2013, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare

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Sunscreen

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Sunscreen

“Slip on a shirt, Slop on the sunscreen, Slap on a hat, Seek shade, Slide on some sunnies.”

  • ‘Sunscreen’ is also known as ‘sun screen’, ‘sunblock’, ‘sunburn cream’, ‘sun cream’, ‘suntan lotion’ and ‘block out’.
  • Sunscreen comes in various forms which include cream, gel or spray mixtures that repel or block the sun’s UV (ultraviolet) rays.
  • Although sunscreen repels UV rays, they often do not block UVA, which are more damaging to the skin than UVB, so a broad spectrum solution that covers both UVA and UVB rays is highly recommended.
  • It has been proven that regular use of sunscreen can slow wrinkle formation and help prevent skin becoming saggy.
  • Most people do not apply adequate sunscreen, and a dose of one quarter to one third of a teaspoon, at least, should be applied to an adult’s face, and at least one teaspoon for each arm and leg.

Sunscreen, White, Blob, Bottle, tube, Homebrand, Squeeze, Ten Random Facts, Australia

  • There are various levels of  sun protection factors (SPF) in different sunscreen lotions, and the higher the number, generally the longer the time you can be in the sun without getting sun burnt, and the better protection it provides.
  • Ancient Egyptians used a sunscreen like formula that helped to block UV rays, and modern formulas were first invented in the 1930s, and over decades they have gradually improved to the broad spectrum formulas that we have today.
  • Sunscreen generally has zinc oxide or titanium oxide as an ingredient, although research concludes that zinc oxide is more effective ingredient.
  • Austrian scientist, Franz Greiter, made a number of significant contributions to the development of sunscreen in the 20th century, including introducing the sun protection factor (SPF).
  • Scientists have been working on edible sunscreen pills and have discovered substances in marine animals and plants, which are the most efficient sun blockers.
Bibliography:
The History of Sunscreen, 2009, Random History, <http://www.randomhistory.com/2009/04/28_sunscreen.html>
Sunscreen, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunscreen>

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