History

Refine Search

What tools did cavemen use?

Paleolithic humans developed their tools by striking stones with other stones, looking to flake away the surface of the rock to create edges and points. In addition to the hand axe, which was suited to chopping, early humans developed sharp, pointed stones to use as weapons. Flat stones also were used as hammers and grinders, and these were involved in the creation of other tools.\nEarly humans used bone and wood tools, although few examples of these have survived. Fossilized bones worked with stone tools are the earliest examples of tool use ever discovered, dating back to 3.4 million years a..

Continue Reading

Why was Socrates charged with impiety?

Part of the charge against Socrates was his alleged disbelief in the gods of Athens. Contrary to what many of his detractors asserted, Socrates was not an atheist. But he did not believe in the traditional view of the Greek pantheon. Socrates believed that there was a single God, and he did not believe in a flawed, reproachable God like those depicted in Greek mythology.\nDespite the claims of impiety, Socrates' indictment was politically motivated. Socrates did not believe in democracy. He believed that the wise should govern, and he did not think that the people at large had sufficient ..

Continue Reading

Where did Roman gladiators fight?

The blood-soaking harena sand became such a defining characteristic of the colosseum and the gladiator games that the center of the colosseum was eventually termed the "arena." The colosseum measured nearly 160 feet tall and 6 acres in diameter. It is generally accepted that the colosseum could hold nearly 87,000 spectators when filled to its capacity. The doors that allowed spectators to enter and exit the colosseum were known as the vomitoria.

Continue Reading

When did the Incas exist?

However, the word has been popularly used by historians to describe the nearly 100 nations that the Inca conquered. The Incas' rule brought about a universal language, a sun-worshipping religion and a road system 14,000 miles long. The Inca Empire stretched north to south for approximately 2,500 miles along the Andean mountain range from Colombia to Chile and west to east from the Atacama desert to the Amazonian rain forest.

Continue Reading

Who was Isaac Newton?

Newton's work "Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica," or the Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, was published in 1687 and is considered by many to be one of the most influential works in the history of science. In the book, Newton described the three laws of motion and the law of universal gravitation. The book showed that both the movements of celestial bodies and objects on Earth are subject to a single set of natural laws. This helped to advance the scientific revolution and removed any remaining doubts about heliocentrism.\nNewton's work in mathematics helped ..

Continue Reading

What was Theodore Roosevelt's nickname?

On a hunting trip Roosevelt refused to shoot a bear that had been tied to a tree, prompting the cartoonist Clifford Berryman to name it "Teddy's Bear." The Ideal Toy Company received permission from Roosevelt to use the name, and the Teddy Bear became one of the most popular stuffed animals in history.\nRoosevelt became the President of the United States following the assassination of William McKinley in 1901.

Continue Reading

How many people died in the Crusades?

The crusades began in the late 11th century and lasted into the late 14th century. They were intended as a way to cleanse the church and prepare for the second coming of Christ. Aside from attempted genocide because it was believed that all Jewish people needed to either be converted or dead before Jesus, many people also died in battle. Many Muslims were also killed when the Christian crusaders realized the vast riches they had accumulated and pillaged their cities and villages.

Continue Reading

What are some facts about Creek Indians?

The Creek were preceded by a mound-building society. After European disease and conflict wiped out up to 90 percent of the native population, new southeastern confederacies formed, including the Cherokee and Creek. The Creek lived off subsistence agriculture in permanent settlements connected by rivers and trails. The Creek grew corn, beans and squash.\nThe Creek traded slaves and deer hides with early European settlers in exchange for textiles and metal tools, such as kettles, knives and guns. European settlers eventually stopped buying native slaves, considering them to be too dangerous. Aft..

Continue Reading

What role did women play in the 1960s?

In the early 1960s women were stereotyped as happy wives and mothers. The only jobs available to them outside the home were as teachers, secretaries and nurses. Society felt that a woman's goal was to get married, have children and be a skilled homemaker. Unmarried and assertive women were social outcasts.\nThings began changing when the first birth control pill was introduced in 1960. Women now had the freedom to enter the workforce and delay having children. Unsatisfied homemakers identified with Betty Friedan's 1963 book "The Feminine Mystique," which challenged the traditional ro..

Continue Reading

What are some possible causes for the hysteria in Salem?

The start of the movement in Salem was spurred by Reverend Parris's daughters showing signs of odd behavior that the doctors could not explain. The hysteria was inflamed even more when a South American slave girl, Tituba, admitted to being a witch and to having made a deal with the devil himself to work for him.

Continue Reading
Showing 2271 to 2280 of 8554 (856 Pages)