By Tim Lambert Early Mauritania In the 3rd century, Berbers arrived in what is now Mauritania. In the 7th century, the Arabs arrived. In the 15th century, the Portuguese arrived in Mauritania. They were followed by other Europeans who traded with the local people for gum arabic and slaves. In 1817, the French took control… Continue reading A Brief History of Mauritania
Category: Articles
A History of Comets
By Tim Lambert Comets are balls of ice and organic material ‘leftover’ from when the Solar System formed. They originate on the outer limits of the Solar System, past the orbit of Neptune. However, most comets have highly elliptical orbits, so for part of their orbits, they approach the Sun more closely. As they approach… Continue reading A History of Comets
A History of Radio
By Tim Lambert The Invention of Radio The radio was a great invention. It allowed people to communicate over long distances, including ship crews. It also allowed entertainment. It is debatable who invented radio. As with many inventions, there were several men working on the same idea around the same time. However, on 2 June… Continue reading A History of Radio
A History of Plastic
By Tim Lambert The Invention of Plastic Plastic is an artificial material that can be easily moulded. Its name is derived from the Greek word plastikos, meaning easily moulded or shaped. Plastics were first made in the 19th century. The first plastic was called Parkesine. It was invented by Alexander Parkes in 1862. He made… Continue reading A History of Plastic
A History of the Asteroids
By Tim Lambert The Discovery of the Asteroids The asteroids are small heavenly bodies, almost all of which orbit between Mars and Jupiter. The first asteroid to be discovered was Ceres. It was discovered by Giuseppe Piazzi in 1801. He named it after the Greek goddess of Agriculture. In 1802 Wilhelm Olbers discovered a second… Continue reading A History of the Asteroids
They Were the First!
By Tim Lambert In 690 AD, Empress Wu Zetian became the first woman to rule China. In 1678, Elena Piscopia became the first woman in the world to gain a PhD. In 1725, Catherine I became the first woman to rule Russia. In 1783, two men, Jean-François de Rozier and the Marquis d’Arlandes, made the… Continue reading They Were the First!
A History of Sex Work
By Tim Lambert Sex Work in the Ancient World Sex work is often called the world’s oldest profession. Exchanging services for food or other goods probably occurred in Prehistoric times. It certainly was common in the earliest civilizations in Iraq and Egypt. Sex workers were recorded in Ancient Iraq as early as 2,400 BC. Sex… Continue reading A History of Sex Work
A History of Pigs
By Tim Lambert The Domestication of Pigs Pigs are intelligent animals. Wild pigs are clean animals. However, for humans, pigs are very useful. Pigs were first domesticated in Western Asia about 8,000 BC. They later spread to Europe. Pigs were independently domesticated in China about 6,000 BC. In the Roman Empire, pork was a common… Continue reading A History of Pigs
A History of Fish and Chips
By Tim Lambert Fish and chips is a traditional British dish, and there are many fish and chip shops. So how did this come about? Potatoes are native to South America, and they were grown by the native people for thousands of years before Europeans discovered them. The Spaniards took potatoes to Spain in the… Continue reading A History of Fish and Chips
A History of Bricks
By Tim Lambert The Invention of Bricks The first bricks were made about 7,000 BC when people in the Middle East mixed clay and straw. They used wooden moulds to mould the bricks. Simple, sun-dried bricks were not very durable, but in about 4,000 BC, people began drying bricks in kilns. The Romans made vast… Continue reading A History of Bricks