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When was dynamite invented?

Nobel invented dynamite as a means to stabilize nitroglycerin. He combined it with absorbent materials such as diatomaceous earth, sawdust, powdered shells, clay and wood pulp to reduce the physical shock sensitivity of pure nitroglycerin. The absorbed explosive was rolled into a tube with paper, sealed and topped with a blasting cap that could be triggered with a detonator.\nThe disadvantage of dynamite is that, over time, it sweats out the nitroglycerin, creating a hazard for storage or transportation. Modern wax-coated packaging attempts to mitigate this.

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Which president regularly skinny dipped in the Potomac River?

John Quincy Adams, the sixth president of the United States, coped with the stress of serving as president by taking a brisk nude swim in Washington D.C.'s Potomac River every morning at 5 a.m.

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Who was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?

Jay was born in 1745 into an affluent New York family. In addition to being one of the nation's Founding Fathers, he also held the position of Second Governor of New York and was one of the signers of the Treaty of Paris.\nThe most famous case over which Jay presided was 1793's Chisholm vs. Georgia, a case that paved the way for judicial review. The ratification of the 11th Amendment to the Constitution overturned that decision.

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What are some facts about Massachusetts history?

Massachusetts, then known as Massachusetts Bay Colony, established the first higher learning institute in the country, Harvard University, in Cambridge in 1636. The colony also became known for its witch trials in Salem, and 19 people were hung in 1692 after being charged with devil worship.\nThe citizens of Boston revolted against the Tea Act in 1773 by dumping boxes of tea into Boston Harbor in what became known as the Boston Tea Party. In 1775, the colony sparked revolution and independence with the first battles of the American Revolutionary War in Concord and Lexington. Even after the cou..

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Who invented LEGOs?

After World War II, plastics began to be used instead of wood and metal for children's toys. The LEGO Group promoted this trend by manufacturing plastic bricks. Their growth over the past 80 years has allowed them to become the third-largest manufacturer in the world of children's toys, as of 2012. The name "LEGO" comes from the Danish phrase "leg godt," meaning "play well."

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How has ancient Roman art influenced the modern world?

Classical elements of ancient Roman art emerged once more in 18th century Europe during the neoclassical revival movement that sought to reclaim antiquated ideals of simplicity, harmony and proportion. Recent discoveries of ancient pieces influenced contemporary artists to restore past aesthetics through their own creative expression, which has since permeated in works identifiable throughout the modern world.\nThe Statue of Liberty exemplifies a universally recognizable sculpture designed in the neoclassical tradition and recalls the Colossus of Rhodes, which was built on a comparably monumen..

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How can you view full Dr. Martin Luther King speeches?

AmericanRhetoric.com offers free full audio and verbatim transcript of King's "I Have a Dream" speech. Full video of the speech is offered with the purchase of a "total access" package. The site offers 24-hour, one-week and one-month packages for $3.99, $12.49 and $42.49, respectively, as of 2015.\nDrMartinLutherKingJr.com allows users to view a complete text of several speeches, including "I Have a Dream," "I've Been to the Mountaintop," "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break the Silence" and his Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech. The site also allows users to listen to the audio of the..

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What is the difference between history and prehistory?

History generally refers to events that were recorded. The Greeks wrote extensively about their culture and other cultures, and most of history after Greek times is well documented. However, the civilizations in the New World did not leave behind extensive notes, so prehistory refers to a later date for North and South America.\nExperts debate whether early Egyptian culture should be considered prehistoric. While the Egyptians had a writing system, no paper documents have been discovered, so the history people have access to today is limited. Other cultures took extensive notes of Egyptian cul..

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What were the positive and negative outcomes of the Columbian Exchange?

The Columbian Exchange started with Christopher Columbus's landing on the shores of San Salvador in 1492. European exploration of and expansion into what they called the New World influenced changes in technology, farming, disease and cultural life for both Europeans and indigenous Americans. These changes had multiple effects, both positive and negative. In fact, what is viewed as a "positive" versus a "negative" outcome in the absolute is widely debated in the historical literature.\n\nFor example, one cited positive outcome of the Columbian Exchange is that Europeans introduced indigen..

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What happened in the Deep South of North America in the 1930s?

In United States history, the 1930s is made famous by the Great Depression, the worst economic depression the country has ever seen. For Southerners, the Depression made their lives even harder. Beginning in 1915, the boll weevil proliferated and wiped out crops throughout the deep South. When the boll weevil epidemic hit, many farmers and sharecroppers left their farms and moved to the city to find work. When the Great Depression hit, massive layoffs ensued in the cities. Farmers that had managed to get through the boll weevil epidemic found that cotton prices dropped from 18 cents to six cen..

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