My Science School

Rumours began to reach the eastern states of the great rich lands of the West. Stories of great rivers, plentiful supplies of food and gold made families decide to risk everything. They sold their homes and packed everything into a small covered wagon.

Because of the risk from Indians and robbers they travelled in large numbers called wagon trains.

Wagon-train transportation moved westward with the advancing frontier. The 19th century saw the development of such famous roads as the Santa Fe Trail, the Oregon Trail, the Smoky Hill Trail, and the Southern Overland Mail route. It was, however, in transit westward over the Oregon-California Trail that the wagon trains attained their most highly organized and institutionalized character. Meeting in early spring at a rendezvous town, perhaps near the Missouri River, the groups would form companies, elect officers, employ guides, and collect essential supplies while awaiting favourable weather, usually in May. Those riding in the wagons were directed and protected by a few on horseback. Once organized and on their way, wagon-train companies tended to follow a fairly fixed daily routine, from 4 AM rising, to 7 AM leaving, 4 PM encampment, cooking and tending to chores while the animals grazed, and simple recreation before early retirement. The companies had to be prepared for such challenges as crossing rivers and mountains and meeting hostile Indians.

Wagon-train migrations are more widely known and written about than wagon freighting, which also played an essential role in an expanding America. Teamsters, best known as bullwhackers or muleskinners, conducted commercial operations on a more or less fixed two-way schedule until replaced by the railroad and the truck.

Credit :  Britannica 

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The people of the Arctic are called Eskimo, which means 'eating it raw. Traditionally, they lived on a diet of raw fish, walrus, seal blubber and whale skin.

They prefer to call themselves 'Inuit', which means 'the people'.

The origin of the word Eskimo is a matter of some contention, but it is generally understood to be of Algonquian origin, Innu-aimun (Montagnais) more specifically. It was long thought to mean “eaters of raw meat.” Algonquian language speakers (including dialects of Cree, Innu-aimun and Ojibwe) have used words to describe the Inuit that would substantiate this definition, including ashkipok (Eastern Ojibwe), eshkipot (Ojibwe), askamiciw (Cree), kachikushu (North Shore Montagnais). (See also Indigenous Languages in Canada.)

However, scholars like Ives Goddard have argued that those forms only support an Ojibwe root, rather than the understood Innu-aimun origin. This theory points to the origin of the word as the Innu-aimun awassimew/ayassimew, which means roughly “one who laces snowshoes.” It is possible that this term was used generally by the Innu to describe the Mi’kmaq, and was later transferred to Inuit upon contact between the two groups. As the word came into use in Ojibwe, its original meaning may have become blurred, as the ashk- prefix can also mean raw or fresh in Ojibwe. French explorers and settlers translated the word toesquimaux, the Danish spelling.

Credit : The Canadian Encyclopedia 

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Small pieces of gold get washed down the rivers and collect in quiet pools. People would scoop up the sand from the river and swirl it around in a shallow pan. The heavier pieces of gold would be left at the bottom.

During the Tertiary period, about 2 million years ago, the mountains underwent a lot of twisting and faulting. Many streams were formed, most of which ran in a South-East direction. The benches of these ancient rivers and streams are well known for the rich deposits they contain. These deposits often have a deep blue color, and are called 'Blue lead', which turns a rusty reddish brown after being dug up and exposed to the air. They are often very hard and compacted.

Flood gold can be found at the bottom of flood layers where heavy storms with enough force to move large amounts of gold will produce concentrations. Watch for layers of differing color, hardness and consistency. Some hard layers may masquerade as bedrock, so don't give up if the going gets a little hard. The shortest route idea applies here, also. Sharp bends may show good return in the inside edges quite far from the normal water line.

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When danger threatens, the squid, like the octopus and the cuttlefish, can squirt dark ink fluid to conceal themselves. The ink clouds the water and confuses their enemy.

Squid are aggressive hunters, but some species are worse than others. The Humboldt squid is of particular danger to divers because it's large -- about the size of a man -- and shows little fear or hesitation when hunting prey. Colossal squid are just as aggressive and fast hunters, and they top out at 2,000 pounds. Thankfully, these giant sea creatures tend to stay in deeper water away from where humans typically dive.

When trying to avoid squid, divers might look for the telltale oblong shape and colors such as red or white. What makes squid dangerous is that their colors aren't constant. They have the ability to change color almost instantaneously to match their environment. If you spot a squid while diving, you could lose sight of him quickly as he morphs to blend in with the background. He can hit you from what seems like out of nowhere.

Many squid have more than suction cups on their tentacles -- they have sharp teeth or claws to grab prey. When a Humboldt squid grabs a diver, for example, he engages teeth that ring each suction cup. Each squid can have up to 35,000 teeth. These sharp teeth bite through protective swim gear to grasp and tear flesh. Squid with claws can rip and tear through your suit and skin. Squid also have sharp beaks designed to pierce the hard flesh and exoskeletons of sea creatures; your skin isn't a match for this strong mouthpiece.

Credit : Pets on Mom

Picture Credit : Google

In Mexico all through the Christmas festival, children have great fun when they are blind-folded and hit a pinata with a stick. The hollow clay pinata jars are hung above the childern's heads. They hit them with sticks, and when at last the jar splits, Sweet and treats spill all over the floor!

Decide on what you would like to fill up the pinata with. Candies are the obvious choice, but you can fill it up with other things that are lightweight – confetti, wrapped gum, chocolate coins, small trinkets, and candies. The amount of candies you’ll fill up in the pinata depends on the number of guests you’re expecting for the party and also the size of your pinata.

A typical pinata that you buy in the store can hold a maximum of two pounds of candy – that is about 100. Some pinatas can hold only confetti and candies and nothing else. But there are sturdier and larger pinatas that you can buy or make that you can also fill up with a variety of things.

If you’re buying a pinata, you have the option of getting the regular kind that the kids will try hitting and breaking with a stick. The other kind, which comes with a pull string is more suitable for smaller kids since it’s safer and easier for young children.

If it’s a party for kids and adults, you can get both types of pinata and hang them in two different locations for fun for all.

Credit : Express Party Supplies 

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These were the tough men who blazed the trails across America. Bearded and dressed in skins they were mainly beaver trappers. Because of their knowledge of the country, many became guides for the wagon trains.

In the early 19th century, St. Louis was an important base for them for trading groups and trading-company caravans. Mingling extensively with the Indians, the mountain men adopted many of their manners of life and their beliefs as well as their love of adornment. Summer rendezvous, especially at Green River (in present-day Wyoming), became an institution of the mountain men, combining trade with recreation. As permanent settlers arrived, many mountain men served as scouts and guides, but their way of life was gradually eliminated by advancing civilization.

Picture Credit : Google

They were the doctors of the tribe, but their main purpose was to deal with the spirits which the Indians believed were all around.

Traditionally, medicine people are called upon to prevent or heal the physical and mental illnesses of individuals as well as the social ruptures that occur when murders and other calamitous events take place within a community. Some medicine men and women undergo rigorous initiation to gain supernormal powers, while others become experts through apprenticeships; many complete a combination of these processes.

The medicine person commonly carries a kit of objects—feathers of particular birds, suggestively shaped or marked stones, pollen, hallucinogenic or medicinal plants, and other items—that are associated with healing. In some cases these materials are considered to have been drawn out of the body of the practitioner at his or her initiation to the healer’s arts. Correspondingly, the work of healing often involves the extraction of offending substances from the patient’s body by sucking, pulling, or other means. In some cases an object must be physically removed from the patient (e.g., the healer removes a projectile from a wound); in cases where the nature of the offending substance is metaphysical, however, the healing ritual focuses on achieving mental and spiritual health. In such cases a symbolic object may be “removed” from the patient by sleight of hand.

Credit :  Britannica 

Picture Credit : Google

Many Chinese live all their lives on floating flat bottomed wooden boats called sampans.

In some cities where space is limited, people live crowded together on sampans in big harbours. Some boats sell goods, other are used for fishing by day, and sleeping on by night.

The word "sampan" comes from the original Cantonese term for the boats, literally meaning "three planks". The name referred to the hull design, which consists of a flat bottom (made from one plank) joined to two sides (the other two planks). The design closely resembles Western hard chine boats like the scow or punt. Pierre-Yves Manguin has pointed out possible Austronesian origin of the word, attested in a Malay inscription from 684 CE.

Sampans may be propelled by poles, oars (particularly a single, long sculling oar called a yuloh) or may be fitted with outboard motors.

Sampans are still in use by rural residents of Southeast Asia, particularly in Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

In the Malay community in Southeast Asia, they also use the term sampan for their boats. Large boats such as sampan panjang, kolek and perahu panjang are used and built by the Malays and Orang Laut living in their coastal villages.

Picture Credit : Google

It is the official residence of the President of the United States of America. It is in Washington, the capital.

The White House was designed by an Irish architect and the foundation stone was laid in 1792. President John Adams was its first occupant in 1880.

The house was originally built of grey Virginian sandstone, but in August 1814 it was burned by British troops. After the war it was painted white to hide the marks made by the smoke.

The white nineteenth-century house at Number One Observatory Circle in northwestern Washington, D.C. was built in 1893. Originally intended for the superintendent of the USNO, the house was so lovely that in 1923, the chief of naval operations kicked out the superintendent so he could move in himself. Historically, Vice Presidents and their families lived in their own homes, but the cost of securing these private residences grew substantially over the years. Finally, in 1974, Congress agreed to refurbish the house at the Naval Observatory as a home for the Vice President.

Three years passed before any Vice President actually lived at Number One Observatory Circle. Vice President Gerald Ford acceded to the Presidency before he could use the home, and his Vice President, Nelson Rockefeller, only used it for entertaining. Walter Mondale was the first Vice President to move into the home. It has since been home to the families of Vice Presidents Bush, Quayle, Gore, Cheney, Biden, and Pence. 

Vice Presidents have welcomed countless guests to the residence, including foreign leaders and dignitaries. Still, the Naval Observatory has continued to operate. Scientists observe the sun, moon, planets, and selected stars, determine and precisely measure the time, and publish astronomical data needed for accurate navigation.

Credit : The White House

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The official residence of British Prime Ministers is number 10 Downing Street. It is in a sidestreet off Whitehall, near the Houses of Parliament.

It was built by Sir George Downing in 1680, and in 1738 George Il offered it to Sir Robert Walpole, who was Britain's first Prime Minister.

Next door, at number 11, lives the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The building is much larger than it appears from its frontage. The hall with the chequered floor immediately behind the front door lets on to a warren of rooms and staircases. The house in Downing Street was joined to a more spacious and elegant building behind it in the early 18th century. Number 10 has also spread itself out to the left of the front door, and has taken over much of 12 Downing Street, which is accessed by a corridor that runs through 11 Downing Street – the official residence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The area around Downing Street was home to ancient Roman, Anglo-Saxon and Norman settlements, and was already a prestigious centre of government 1,000 years ago.

The Romans first came to Britain under the command of Julius Caesar in 55 BC. Making their capital at Londinium downriver, the Romans chose Thorney Island – a marshy piece of land lying between two branches of the river Tyburn that flowed from Hampstead Heath to the Thames – as the site for their early settlement.

These Roman settlements, and those of the Anglo-Saxons and Normans who supplanted them, were not very successful. The area was prone to plague and its inhabitants were very poor. A charter granted by the Mercian King Offa in the year 785 refers to “the terrible place called Thorney Island”. It took royal patronage to give the area prestige. King Canute (reigned 1017 to 1035) built a palace in the area, and Edward the Confessor (reigned 1042 to 1066) and William the Conqueror (reigned 1066 to 1087) maintained a royal presence there. The position of Westminster (as the area became known) as the centre of government and the church was solidified following the construction of the great abbey nearby, on Edward's orders.

Credit : Gov.UK

Picture Credit : Google