The Vikings were a seafaring people known for being fierce warriors. They raided villages and built colonies throughout Europe - and according to some researchers, as far away as North America - during the ninth to eleventh centuries. The term "Viking" meant "pirate." Vikings were also known as Norsemen or Northmen... Read more
The lungs are among the largest organs in the human body. These muscular air sacs are located within the chest. When air is brought into the lungs, the body takes in oxygen and removes carbon dioxide from the blood. The heart then pumps the oxygenated blood to the body... Read more
The bobcat, also called the wildcat or bay lynx, is a North American mammal. Bobcats are slightly larger than the average housecat, weighing 15 to 33 pounds (7 to 15 kilograms). Bobcats can live almost anywhere - deserts, forests, and even cities... Read more
The stethoscope or phonendoscope is a medical instrument used to listen to the sounds produced inside the body, typically those of the heart and lungs but sometimes the intestines or blood flow. Listening to these sounds is known as "auscultation." The stethoscope was first invented in 1816... Read more
A kiss is defined as "a touch or caress of the lips upon the lips, cheek, hand, or feet of another to signify affection, greeting, reverence, or... attraction." It is true that a kiss can mean many things, but the most popular meaning is love... Read more
Nearly 60 species of falcons live in various climates throughout the world. They are birds of prey resembling the related hawks and eagles. Falcons are known for their speed and grace. In fact, a diving peregrine falcon is the fastest animal in the world. They often nest on the sides of cliffs or tall buildings... Read more
Scissors or shears are used for cutting hair, thread, fabric, paper, or even food items. Specialized shears may be used for cutting metal, pruning plants, or in surgery. This type of cutlery was first invented thousands of years ago during the Bronze Age, but scissors were not readily available to everyone until the 1700s... Read more
There are about 33 species of rattlesnake native to North and South America. Rattlesnakes are venomous pit vipers marked by a unique tail structure. Each snake is born with one button or rattle segment. Within a week of birth, they shed their skin and a second button is left behind. This happens every time the snake sheds its skin... Read more
Bread is a dietary staple throughout much of the world and has been throughout history. This food can be made from the flour of grains such as wheat, corn, spelt, rice, millet, rye, or barley, or from nuts including almonds and coconut... Read more
The great white shark, also known as the white shark or white pointer, is the largest extant species of mackerel shark. This animal can grow to a length of 20 feet (6.1 meters) and weigh up to 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg). They may live 70 years or more in the wild... Read more
A tea cup or teacup is a type of drinking glass especially designed for serving hot tea. Teacups are generally shorter but wider than coffee mugs. Morning tea cups may be larger than afternoon tea cups. Oriental tea cups are often smaller still and lack handles. Teacups are generally part of a tea set for preparing and serving the beverage. Such a set may include a teapot, saucers, teaspoons, and other paraphernalia... Read more
A tea pot or teapot is a special cooking vessel used for steeping leaves to make tea. It is similar to the tea kettle used for heating water over a fire or stove. The teapot, however, typically has a sieve built into it or one that can be used with it to strain the tea leaves from the water... Read more
Starbucks is a chain coffee shop known around the world. The company was named after a character in Herman Melville's Moby Dick. Its logo is a "twin-tailed mermaid, or siren as she's known in Greek mythology." The green color represents the college of the founders... Read more
A katana is a curved sword that was used by the samurai of feudal Japan. Katana have been in use since the 1300s. As trade with Japan increased, these weapons became famous around the world: "Western historians have said that katana were among the finest cutting weapons in world military history... Read more
The bass is a North American game fish or sport fish, part of a family of fishes known as sunfish. A number of unrelated saltwater fish are known as sea bass... Read more
The skull has, naturally, long been a symbol of death. In one famous scene from the 1948 film Hamlet, the title character holds and speaks to the skull of his friend while... Read more
Lips have long featured in popular culture. Since time immemorial, poets have waxed romantic about the fleshy protuberances surrounding the mouth. William Shakespeare cast young Romeo to swoon over his Juliet: "Thy lips, two blushing pilgrims ready stand." Love letters are sealed with a kiss, and school supplies, clothing, and everything in between may be emblazoned with puckered lips, especially near the... Read more
Hand washing or hand hygiene is important to everyone's health. Long ago, before the discovery of germs, people thought that sickness was caused by "miasma" or "bad air." It wasn't until the mid-1800s that doctors and nurses realized how important handwashing was in protecting their patients from infection... Read more
A helicopter, also called a chopper, is a type of aircraft that uses a rotor, or spinning blade, to take off and land vertically. Unlike airplanes, helicopters don't need a runway. Other rotorcraft include convertiplanes, autogiros or autogyros, and V/STOL aircraft... Read more
For most of human history, weapons of war consisted of various types of clubs, blades such as daggers and swords, and piercing, poisoned, or flaming projectiles launched from slings, bows, or catapults. The face of war changed drastically with the invention of the gun around the year AD 1000... Read more