May 2011
16 posts
What Were Thomas Aquinas’ Main Original Ideas? →
Although Thomas Aquinas (1224–1274) was deeply influenced by the work…
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How Else Has Boethius Been Influential Long After... →
Boëthius (480–c. 525) is best known for his stoic-Neoplatonic text,…
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What Was In St. Isidore’s Encyclopedia? →
St. Isidore of Seville’s (c. 560–636) encyclopedia, the…
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What Was Plato’s Metaphysical Theory of Forms? →
Plato’s major contribution to philosophy was his metaphysical…
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Can Day Care Contribute to Attention Deficit... →
A rarely discussed contributor to ADD-like behavior can be day care,…
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Is Shyness Normal In Children? →
Shyness is often viewed as a problem. Many people believe it is an…
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Is It Normal for My Child to Speak Rudely to Me... →
“Be quiet, Dad. You never let me do anything!” “I…
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How Can I Teach My Child to Respect Others? →
There are two ways your child learns about respect. He listens to…
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How Can I Keep My Child Safe When He Wants to... →
It’s certainly true that your child needs limits, but he also…
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How Would Lasers Produce Nuclear Fusion? →
The second method of producing fusion is called inertial confinement….
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How Is Radioactive Decay Used to Determine Dates... →
Radioactive carbon-14 (14C) has a half life of 5,730 years. It is…
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What Types of Materials Are Attracted to Magnets? →
Iron, nickel, and cobalt and most of their alloys are attracted to…
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What Were the Implications of Hans Christian... →
The fact that moving charge in a wire could create a magnetic field…
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What Were Some Uses of the Leyden Jar? →
In the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, people attempted to…
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How Can Water Be Used to Model Voltage and... →
Think of a river flowing downhill from one lake into another. The…
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Who Developed Radar and When Was Radar Invented? →
Radar was developed independently in many countries in the 1930s….
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How Is Temperature Measured and How Do Electronic... →
Temperature is measured by a device called a thermometer. There are…
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April 2011
3 posts
If Mach 1 Is the Speed of Sound What Is Mach 2? →
Mach is the ratio of a velocity to the speed of sound, so Mach 2 is…
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Who Developed Gears and When Were Gears First... →
As early as 2600 B.C.E. in India and other parts of southern Asia…
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January 2011
15 posts
How Do Sword Swallowers Make It Look Like They Are... →
Sword swallowers make it look like they’re swallowing swords by…
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What Is Mickey Mouse Called In Other Countries and... →
In Icelandic, Mickey Mouse is Mikki Mils. In Farsi, the language…
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What Does EPCOT Stand For and Where Did the Word... →
EPCOT stand for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. Disney…
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How Did the Hearse Funeral Car Get Its Name and... →
Here’s how the Hearse funeral car got its name. It all began…
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Why Is the Right of a Ship Called Starboard and... →
Here is the story of why sailors started using those terms. Why they…
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What Do Train Whistles Mean Besides “Get Out of... →
Train whistles used to mean a lot more back before phones,…
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How Fast Can a Dog Sled Go If You Have Six Big... →
The best sled dogs are those that are bred for the job, Siberian…
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What Is the Top Speed For a Unicycle and How Fast... →
One wheel isn’t even half as fast as two, alas. The…
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How Is It Possible For Someone To Actually Die... →
Supposedly, yes, you can die from laughing. According to record, the…
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What Are Farts Made Of and Are Farts Really... →
Farts are indeed flammable and people with more matches than sense…
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What Is the Best Way To Stop an Ice Cream Headache... →
There are a bunch of folk remedies for an ice cream headache. Try…
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Why Do People Yawn and What Are Some Common... →
No one knows for sure why we yawn, but there are several theories….
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What Famous Ship Was Dismantled and Made Into a... →
The Mayflower was was dismantled and made into a barn. Cut and planed…
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What Sounds Do Chickens Make In Other Languages... →
A rooster’s crow is so distinctive that there isn’t much…
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Why Was the Famous Portrait of George Washington... →
George Washington hated the tedium of sitting for days at a time when…
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June 2010
403 posts
Where Did the Term “Smart Aleck” For an Impudent... →
The expression “smart aleck” for someone too cocky dates…
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Where Did the Words Steward and Stewardess Come... →
A steward or stewardess is usually employed as a caretaker in a…
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What Does a “Dry Run” Mean and Where Did the Term... →
A “dry run” is firefighter jargon.
It was once common for…
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How Did the Word “Sidekick” Originate and What... →
The slang word sidekick describing a close male associate comes from…
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What Does the Word “Tomboy” Mean and Where Did the... →
A tomboy has meant a bold, aggressive girl since about 1579, but…
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Where Did the Word “Stickler” For a Perfectionist... →
The word stickler is from the Middle English word…
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Where Did the Word “Fishwife” For a Vulgar Woman... →
From its Anglo-Saxon root word “wif”, wife simply means…
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When Was the Legal Drinking Age First Established... →
In eleventh-century Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, thirteen was…
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Why Are Stupid Sexy Women Called “Bimbos”, Where... →
The word bimbo is dismissive, and although it generally suggests a…
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Where Did the Phrase “Barefaced Lie” Come From and... →
A “barefaced lie” is one that is obvious and told…
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Where Did Beauty Marks For Women Come From and... →
Beauty marks highlight facial features, but they began as beauty…
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Where Did the Term “Mark” Come From For a Gullible... →
A “mark” is someone who can easily be taken advantage of…
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What Does the Phrase “Under the Wire” Mean and... →
To make it “under the wire” means another instant and…
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Where Did the Joker In a Deck of Cards Come From... →
The joker was introduced to a deck of cards by American sailors and…
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What Does “Call the Shot” Mean When Someone is in... →
“Calling the shots” means being in control or taking…
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Where Did the Phrase “Go For Broke” Come From and... →
“Go for broke” came from the world of professional…
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