Why is it called Martial Arts?
Although presently associated with Asian fighting arts, originally martial arts referred to European armies’ fighting methods. The word “martial” means “of Mars”, the Roman… Read More »Why is it called Martial Arts?
Ancient World
Is hocus pocus a Catholic spell in Latin?
Hocus pocus is a corruption of the catholic text “Hoc est enim corpus meums”, said by catholic priests during transubstantiation sacrament ceremony and mean… Read More »Is hocus pocus a Catholic spell in Latin?
Is Abracadabra an old-testamnet spell in Hebrew?
Abracadabra is an ancient magic incantation that survived the test of time and is used even in today’s magic performance. It derives from Aramaic… Read More »Is Abracadabra an old-testamnet spell in Hebrew?
Why is gold measured in karats?
In ancient times, just like today, many commodities were bought by weight. Only back then digital scales were not available and weighing small goods… Read More »Why is gold measured in karats?
Why are there so many “Van”s in the Netherlands?
Let’s go back two hundred years to the 19th century. Napoleon had just conquered the Netherlands and is surprised to learn that Dutch people… Read More »Why are there so many “Van”s in the Netherlands?
Why is the speed at sea measured in knots?
For the hundreds of years till the mid-19th century, vessel speed at sea was measured using a chip log. The chip log was a… Read More »Why is the speed at sea measured in knots?
When were the sunglasses invented?
The sunglasses were invented by the Inuit and Yupik people – formerly known as Eskimo – more than 2,000 years ago. They were the… Read More »When were the sunglasses invented?
Are the Afghans descendants of a lost Israelite tribe?
According to the Pashtuns – the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan – not only are they descendants of the Ephraim Israelite tribe but of… Read More »Are the Afghans descendants of a lost Israelite tribe?
Who is the ‘Lion in Zion’ that Bob Marley sings about?
Bob Marley, the most famous reggae artist of all time, sings in his hit song ‘Iron, lion, zion’ about a mysterious fugitive running for… Read More »Who is the ‘Lion in Zion’ that Bob Marley sings about?
Which empire ruled 44% of the world’s population?
The largest Empire by area was the British Empire which in 1920 spanned over 26.35% of the world’s land. The largest Empire by contiguous… Read More »Which empire ruled 44% of the world’s population?