The Bible says that God created the Universe in six days and that the seventh was a day of rest. It was the ancient Jews who adopted the seven-day week and made one of them (the sabbath) a religious festival. The Romans dedicated Sunday to the Sun, Monday to the Moon, Tuesday to Mars, Wednesday to Mercury, Thursday to Jupiter, Friday to Venus, and Saturday to Saturn. The Christians later dedicated Sunday to the Lord (Domenicus).
In the English calendar, Monday came from the Old English for Moon day; Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday were derived from the names of Germanic gods similar to the Roman ones. Friday is derived from a Norse and Teutonic goddess Frigg, or Frigga. Saturday comes from the Latin for Saturn.
Why do some men grow beards?
Men produce a hormone (body chemical) which enables them to grow hair on the lower part of heir faces. This will grow into a mustache and beard if -it is not shaved off. As early as the iron age men have chosen to shave, or to shape their beards and mustaches to improve the way they look. They have also shaved for comfort in a warm climate - beards can be hot and itchy! Because the razors they used were open blades, they were quite difficult and dangerous to use. Nowadays, with safety and electric razors available, more men choose to be clean shaven.
What is a shaman?
A violent storm rages through the forest. In a clearing, the tribe gathers in front of the witchdoctor’s hut, while he performs his tribal dances to frighten’ away the evil spirits of the storm.
As he leaps and twists, he chants spells in a low mumble or screeches curses at the sky. He wears a terrifying mask and his body is painted with powdered dyes and plant juices. He wears animal skins and bird feathers, and has the bones of dead animals in his hair and ears.
Many primitive tribes throughout the world choose one important person to perform the magic for his tribe. This man or woman may be called a witchdoctor, a medicine man or shaman. They are often more powerful than the tribal chief, because the tribe believes they are in touch with supernatural spirits that control their lives.
As he leaps and twists, he chants spells in a low mumble or screeches curses at the sky. He wears a terrifying mask and his body is painted with powdered dyes and plant juices. He wears animal skins and bird feathers, and has the bones of dead animals in his hair and ears.
Many primitive tribes throughout the world choose one important person to perform the magic for his tribe. This man or woman may be called a witchdoctor, a medicine man or shaman. They are often more powerful than the tribal chief, because the tribe believes they are in touch with supernatural spirits that control their lives.
Why do some animals kill others?
Animals don’t usually kill for sport. If one animal kills another, it is usually for food, or in self-defense. Meat-eating animals, or carnivores, kill vegetable-eating animals, or herbivores, to eat them, as they cannot digest vegetable matter themselves. A natural circle called the food chain is established which enables the different species to survive. Man can eat both meat and vegetables (an omnivore).
Why do we get scared in the dark?
Because we can’t see in the/dark, we start imagining things that aren’t there. A curtain fluttering at the window becomes a ghost floating in the air, and a creaky door becomes the step of a monster. Turn on the light and we’ll see that everything is just the same as it was before you turned off the light.
Who terrorized the China seas?
Chang Yih was a small hunchbacked Chinaman. He sailed on short pirate raids around the coast of China. He became very rich, and his fleet of stolen boats grew until he owned five hundred.
When Chang Yih was killed in a typhoon, his wife took charge of the fleet. She was even fiercer than her husband. Once she defeated a hundred ships belonging to the Emperor of China. Chang Yih’s wife rewarded her pirates with silver for each victim’s head that they brought her.
When Chang Yih was killed in a typhoon, his wife took charge of the fleet. She was even fiercer than her husband. Once she defeated a hundred ships belonging to the Emperor of China. Chang Yih’s wife rewarded her pirates with silver for each victim’s head that they brought her.
Who was Vulcan?
Two thousand years ago, people did not know that rock and gas below the Earth’s surface caused volcanoes to erupt. They were afraid of mountains that rumbled and exploded mysteriously. They believed that angry gods made the mountains erupt to punish them.
The Romans called their god of fire Vulcan. They believed that deep inside Mount Etna, on the island of Sicily, Vulcan heaped coals on his blacksmith’s fire. This caused flames and sparks to leap up the chimney and through the mountain top. They though that Vulcan forged the lightning in a thunderstorm. People imagined him hammering and treating the hot metal when they heard distant thunder. The word volcano comes from the name Vulcan.
The Romans called their god of fire Vulcan. They believed that deep inside Mount Etna, on the island of Sicily, Vulcan heaped coals on his blacksmith’s fire. This caused flames and sparks to leap up the chimney and through the mountain top. They though that Vulcan forged the lightning in a thunderstorm. People imagined him hammering and treating the hot metal when they heard distant thunder. The word volcano comes from the name Vulcan.
Why does our stomach rumble sometimes?
Sometimes it is very embarrassing: you are in a quiet place and suddenly your stomach makes strange loud rumbling noises. The worse is, there is nothing you can do about it. Imagine the anguish of someone in hiding, given away by his stomach! That never happens in adventure films! We are led to believe that cinema heroes have stationary intestines which are always full; unless, of course, they know how to control them! Actually it is the movements of the intestine which are responsible for the noise.
The muscles in the intestinal walls contract and relax rhythmically to propel the food pulp from the stomach. The muscles are arranged in two ways; some in a ring and some lengthwise. The contractions of the ring-shaped muscles form constrictions, which push the food forward. The contractions of the lengthwise muscles help sections of the intestine to ripple and bend. These movements are controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which ensures the automatic operation of all organs.
In addition, the intestines have a certain control over their movements independent of the autonomic nervous system: for example, when a small section of intestine is detached and placed in a nutritive, oxygenated solution, it continues to ripple and contact. There is, therefore, a continuous motion in the abdomen.
The noises are generally inaudible, but they may become lower when the food pulp is in short supply or when it is in a fairly liquid state. There is no doubt that these ‘rumblings’ are most often heard when we are hungry. Since the intestines do not obey instructions from us, there is nothing we can do about them.
The muscles in the intestinal walls contract and relax rhythmically to propel the food pulp from the stomach. The muscles are arranged in two ways; some in a ring and some lengthwise. The contractions of the ring-shaped muscles form constrictions, which push the food forward. The contractions of the lengthwise muscles help sections of the intestine to ripple and bend. These movements are controlled by the autonomic nervous system, which ensures the automatic operation of all organs.
In addition, the intestines have a certain control over their movements independent of the autonomic nervous system: for example, when a small section of intestine is detached and placed in a nutritive, oxygenated solution, it continues to ripple and contact. There is, therefore, a continuous motion in the abdomen.
The noises are generally inaudible, but they may become lower when the food pulp is in short supply or when it is in a fairly liquid state. There is no doubt that these ‘rumblings’ are most often heard when we are hungry. Since the intestines do not obey instructions from us, there is nothing we can do about them.
What is St Vitus’s dance?
St Vitus’s Dance is a name given to the disease chorea. It is a convulsive disease of the nerves usually associated with rheumatic fever. When someone gets chorea, the muscles - particularly of their hands, feet and face - move irregularly and involuntarily.
The name St. Vitus’s Dance dates from the late Middle Ages, when hysterical dancing (similar to the dancing of dervishes and voodoo cultists) was very popular. People in the grip of this hysteria often went to the chapels of St Vitus, who was believed to have great healing powers.
Chorea is chiefly a disease of childhood, occurring most often between the ages of five and 15. It is more common in girls than in boys. Sometimes the disease is mild. Sometimes it completely incapacitates the sufferer. It is quite usual for someone with the disease to be unable to hold objects or to write properly, and to have difficulty in walking. Recovery is hastened by rest in bed in a sympathetic environment.
Facial grimaces and tics are frequently confused with chorea, but these repetitive movements are quite different from the uncoordinated, purposeless movements of the disease.
The name St. Vitus’s Dance dates from the late Middle Ages, when hysterical dancing (similar to the dancing of dervishes and voodoo cultists) was very popular. People in the grip of this hysteria often went to the chapels of St Vitus, who was believed to have great healing powers.
Chorea is chiefly a disease of childhood, occurring most often between the ages of five and 15. It is more common in girls than in boys. Sometimes the disease is mild. Sometimes it completely incapacitates the sufferer. It is quite usual for someone with the disease to be unable to hold objects or to write properly, and to have difficulty in walking. Recovery is hastened by rest in bed in a sympathetic environment.
Facial grimaces and tics are frequently confused with chorea, but these repetitive movements are quite different from the uncoordinated, purposeless movements of the disease.
