In our solar system, Mars is the fourth planet from the sun. It is, in many ways, similar to our own planet. Mars has clouds, wind, ice caps, canyons, volcanoes, and 24-hour days. One year on Mars lasts about 687 Earth days, twice the length of our own year. Because water (in the form of ice) is present on Mars, it is considered the most likely candidate for hosting life - human or indigenous - beyond the earth... Read more
Hats have been around since the dawn of humanity. Hats have served many different purposes, from functional to stylish, and have been constructed from various materials... Read more
Sunglasses, shades, sun cheaters, sun specs, spekkies, or sunnies are a type of eyeglasses worn to protect the eyes from the rays of the sun. They come in many styles, including aviators, "John Lennon glasses," wayfarers, and shutter shades... Read more
A vase is a type of open container that has been used throughout human history. Today, vases most often hold flowers, but in the past, they were used for storing oils, perfumes, wine, and other products. Other perishable items, such as paper scrolls, were also stored in vases. In fact, the famous Dead Sea Scrolls were found in vase-like jars... Read more
Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States of America. He was given many nicknames, including Honest Abe, the Great Emancipator, and the Rail-Splitter. He is best known for working to end slavery through the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution... Read more
In the Dragon Ball universe, Goku or Kakarot is a member of the extraterrestrial Saiyan race. He was raised on Earth and became a legendary martial artist, even the greatest fighter in the world. He has saved both the Earth and the universe several times over... Read more
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