Locks are mechanical devices that secure doors. Once a lock is in place, it can only be opened with a key or secret code. The oldest known lock was discovered near the ancient Babylonian city of Nineveh. It may be 4,000 years old... Read more
The goose is a water bird, larger in size than the duck. People domesticated the goose thousands of years ago. It has been kept as a food source and for its warm feathers, which are used in pillows, quilts, and coats... Read more
Eyeglasses, also called glasses or spectacles, were first invented in 1268. For nearly a thousand years, glasses have been helping people see better... Read more
The human skull has long served as a symbol of death and mortality in art. This is no more plainly seen than in the danse macabre or dance of death, an allegorical concept that arose in Europe during the Middle Ages... Read more
Before it was a video game, Overwatch was a military tactic. It involves a small unit supporting another by taking the high ground. From there, this group can watch out for enemy movements, survey the terrain, and provide cover fire... Read more
The mustache, sometimes spelled moustache, is hair on the upper lip. Throughout history, different mustache styles have fallen in and out of fashion. Often, the mustache was worn with a beard, but even ancient Egyptian artifacts show bearless mustaches. At times, laws regarding facial hair were even enacted, forcing men to either shave or not shave their mustache... Read more
A UFO or unidentified flying object is "any aerial object or optical phenomenon not readily identifiable to the observer." The first UFO sighting of a "flying saucer" occurred in 1947, when a pilot reported several fast-moving objects. He described them as moving "like saucers skipping on water," and thus the flying saucer was born... Read more
Ballet, or danse d'cole is a type of theatrical dance. Ballet was developed as entertainment for the royal courts of Italy during the Italian Renaissance, during the 1500s. France soon became the center of this artistic movement... Read more
Pomeranians, also called Dwarf-Spitz or Poms for short, were named for the duke of Pomerania, a historical region in central Europe. Their ancestry can be traced to a common ancestor of sled dogs. It is said that they were bred down from a 30-pound sheepdog to their current size. They are classed as a toy breed, reaching a height of just 6 to 7 inches (15 to 18 centimeters) and weighing only 3 to 7 pounds (1.5 to 3 kilograms)... Read more
Lamps of various styles have been used for indoor lighting throughout history. The earliest lamps consisted of a vessel holding a combustible material such as oil, and a wick that soaked it up. The wick would be lit and slowly burn the fuel, giving off light... Read more
A number of symbols have been used to represent the concept of peace. These include the dove and olive branch, the symbol of the British nuclear disarmament movement (commonly called the peace sign or peace symbol), the broken rifle, and the lion and the lamb... Read more
The porcupine is one of the world's largest rodents. Also called a "quill pig," porcupines are known for their sharp, stiff, modified hairs which they use for protection. Contrary to popular belief, porcupines cannot "throw" or "shoot" their quills. Rather, the porcupine may back up into its attacker, leaving the sharp quills behind... Read more
Cosmetics like lipstick have been used since ancient times. The ancient Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks, and others used lip color. Queen Elizabeth I of England used a red chemical called mercuric sulfide, a pigment also used to make vermillion paint. A cosmetic called rouge was used both as a lipstick and as a blush on the cheeks... Read more
The term velociraptor means "swift seizer." It was native to Asia, while the larger deinonychus flourished in North America. It is known for its large claw, which it may have used as a weapon in the way the cassowary does today... Read more
Vultures or buzzards are raptors or birds of prey, similar to eagles and hawks. There are 23 species of vultures worldwide. These large birds are known for being scavengers, eating dead carcasses as part of nature's cleanup crew... Read more
The chihuahua is a popular breed of small dog known for its sassy temperament. In fact, it is the smallest recognized breed, typically weighing 1 to 6 pounds and being about 5 inches tall... Read more
The bird's skull is made up of five parts: the top of the head, or frontal area; the back of the head, or parietal area; the premaxillary and nasal areas of the top beak; and the mandible or bottom beak... Read more
The terms pants, trousers, trousers, or slacks, refer to lower body garments that are "divided into sections to cover each leg separately."... Read more
Athena or Athene was the Greek goddess of war, reason, and wisdom. Her arena was the "intellectual and civilized side of war and the virtues of justice and skill." In times of peace, she was a goddess of skilled crafts such as weaving. She was the protectress of the city of Athens. In Roman mythology, she went by the name Minerva... Read more
The hyena is a mammal that resembles a dog. The three species of hyena are native to Africa and Asia. Hyenas live in packs and are predators as well as opportunistic scavengers. Females serve as the alpha or leader in hyena society... Read more