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
Barbie is an American fashion doll that entered the world scene in 1959. The curvaceous blonde, based on a "risqué gag gift for men," quickly became a cultural icon. In fact, it was featured in the first television commercials directed at children... Read more
A cemetery or graveyard is a place set aside for burying the remains of the deceased. Cemeteries reflect the religious beliefs of the area and are often considered "holy ground." In some countries, such as Mexico and Japan, festivals in honor of the dead are celebrated in graveyards... 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
The trumpet, also spelled trompette or trompete, is a musical instrument of the brass wind family. The term "trumpet" describes a number of instruments throughout history played by vibrating the lips against the mouthpiece. The earliest trumpets were made from the horns of animals such as rams or bulls, or conch shells. Today, trumpets are made of metal... Read more
Thermometers are instruments used to measure temperature. The first thermometer was built in 1592 by Galileo Galilei. They did not become widely available until the 1800s... Read more
