History
A:
The band-aid was invented by Earle Dickson, who was an employee of Johnson & Johnson, and his wife Josephine. His wife was constantly cutting or burning herself and needed to find relief.
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Q: Why did the Aztecs sacrifice humans?
A: The Aztecs sacrificed humans because they believed that without the sustenance of human life-blood, the sun would fail and the world would end. Their gods had sacrificed themselves to bring the world into existence, so humanity must continue the sacrifices to ensure the world remained sustained. -
Q: What accomplishment is Confucius most well-known for?
A: Confucius' most well-known accomplishment is creating the philosophy of Confucianism. This philosophy stresses that a stable society requires people to follow tradition and a policy of mutual respect. Confucianism provided the basis for the bureaucracy in imperial China. -
Q: How long did it take to get across the Atlantic in the 1700s?
A: Since ships in the 1700s relied on sails to propel them, the length of the voyage greatly depended on the wind. An immigrant who made the journey in 1750 reported that it could take between eight and 12 weeks, while another who arrived in 1724 reported that the journey took six weeks and three days. The average journey was about seven weeks. -
Q: Who was the first person to discover America?
A: The discovery of America is most commonly attributed to Christopher Columbus, as it was he who revealed the Americas to early-modern Europe. Scholars entertain many alternative answers to who discovered America depending on the specific parameters of what constitutes "discovery." -
Q: Who was the first person to invent music?
A: Music predates recorded history, so it is impossible to say where and when it was first performed. However, there are archaeological records that indicate virtually all prehistoric societies developed musical instruments and had some capacity to play music. -
Q: What weapons did the Babylonians use?
A: The ancient Babylonians used sharpened weapons such as sickle swords, socketed axes, spears, and the Egyptian-derived bladed mace, as well as clubs and staffs, and projectiles flung from war slings. The Babylonians were a Bronze Age people, so the bladed weapons they used were made of a softer metal than later civilization's iron and steel. This made them less effective in battle than iron and iron-alloy based weapons, as iron is harder and harder blades can take a sharper point. - See More Ancient History Questions
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Q: How did the light bulb change the world?
A: The invention of the light bulb changed the world in many ways, including facilitating the creation of large power grids, changing the social and economic structure of society and bringing other appliances into the home. Although many inventors had experimented with incandescent light bulbs, Thomas Edison created the first widely distributed model in 1879. -
Q: Why did Alfred Nobel invent dynamite?
A: One possible reason for Swedish engineer Alfred Nobel's invention of dynamite was the safety of construction work and blasting rock in the mid-1800s. Nobel helped build bridges in Stockholm. Nitroglycerine was used in the detonation of rock, and it was a relatively unsafe method. According to the Nobel Prize Organization, Alfred Nobel's brother Emil was killed in a nitroglycerine explosion. -
Q: Why was the revolving door invented?
A: In 1888, Theophilus Van Kannel invented the revolving door not because he cared about efficiency or convenience, but because he couldn't stand holding open a regular door. More specifically: he loathed chivalry, and he thought a new door was the perfect way around it. -
Q: When were watches invented?
A: Wristwatches were first officially invented in 1868 when a watch was created for the Countess of Hungary. Prior to the first official wristwatch, pocket watches were adapted to be worn on the wrist as early as 1570. -
Q: When were paper plates invented?
A: Paper plates were invented by Martin Keyes in the early 20th century. The inventor began to market his paper plate molding machine in 1903 after founding the Keyes Fibre Company. His first paper plate molding machine was capable of manufacturing 50,000 paper plates per day. -
Q: Who invented the cell phone?
A: Martin Cooper invented the cell phone in 1973 while he was general manager of Motorola's communications systems division. He placed the first wireless call to industry rival AT&T Bell Labs while standing on a street in New York City on April 3, 1973. He also called a radio station in New York City to alert the public of his technological achievement. - See More Inventions Questions
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Q: What did the Vikings invent?
A: The Vikings invented the longboat during the Vikings Age from 800 to 1100 A.D. This type of ship helped them travel the oceans to reach France, England, Scotland, Greenland, Iceland, Ireland, Vinland and the Middle East. Thus, they became a dominant force in European medieval trade, politics and warfare. -
Q: What was the role of a medieval king?
A: The roles of a king during Medieval Europe included land ownership, warfare leadership and lawmaker. A king allowed knights, barons and lords to live on his land, as long as they provided armies of men to fight wars. When kings fought neighboring kingdoms, he led his men into battle. Kings were supreme rulers of their lands, and they meted out justice as they saw fit. -
Q: What are facts about Mansa Musa?
A: Mansa Musa assumed the position of ruler of Mali during the 14th century, and later embarked on a journey to Mecca, becoming the first African ruler to do so. Mansa Musa was born in 1280 A.D., and died in 1337. His life achievements included promoting the Muslim religion, and supporting unprecedented growth of the arts and education. -
Q: Where was the Trojan War fought?
A: According to Greek mythology, the Trojan War was fought between the Greeks and the Trojans in the city of Troy in Asia Minor. This is the region of modern-day Turkey. The war took place from 1194 to 1184 B.C., lasting nearly 10 years. -
Q: Why did Marco Polo want to explore Asia?
A: Marco Polo and his family traveled through Asia to bring a letter from the Pope, Christian scholars and oil from the lamp at the Holy Sepulchre to Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan was the Great Khan of the Mongol Empire. As merchants, they also conducted business along the way. -
Q: How tall was Genghis Khan?
A: There is no definitive account of Ghengis Khan's height. Descriptions simply describe him as tall. Tall is likely relevant, however. The average height of man during the time in which Ghengis Khan lived was just under 5 foot 7 inches, so anyone taller than this average could be considered tall. - See More Middle Ages Questions
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Q: What did Nelson Mandela fight for?
A: Nelson Mandela fought to end apartheid, which divided people in South Africans based on race. After his release from prison, he sought reconciliation. He is credited with helping South Africa move past its unjust history. -
Q: What was the cause of the Cambodian genocide?
A: The Cambodian genocide was caused by Khmer Rouge party leader Pol Pot's attempt to eliminate anyone potentially opposed to his proposed system of labor in a federation of collective farms, according to World Without Genocide. Pol Pot's project was inspired by Maoist-Communist ideals. -
Q: Who was Nelson Mandela, and what did he do?
A: Nelson Mandela (1918-2013) was a president of South Africa and a Nobel Peace Prize recipient. In South Africa, he is often called "Madiba," which was the name of the clan he was born into. -
Q: What was the IQ of Albert Einstein?
A: Albert Einstein had an IQ of 160. This is the same IQ level as Stephen Hawking. Einstein was born in Germany on March 14, 1879. -
Q: What was in the exercise room on the Titanic?
A: The RMS Titanic had some of the finest amenities available for its first-class passengers, one of which was a top-of-the-line gymnasium. According to the National Museums Northern Ireland, the first-class exercise room contained ���an electric camel, an electric horse, cycling machines and a rowing machine.��� -
Q: What war lasted 335 years and had no deaths?
A: The appropriately named 335 Year War was a conflict between the the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly that did not cause any deaths. The two nations declared war on each other in 1651 and, quite simply, forgot to declare peace until 1986. - See More Modern History Questions
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