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In 1879 it was estimated the Oxford English Dictionary would take 10 years to complete, but in five years they’d only reached the word “Ant”. After crowdsourcing readers to help, it was completed 44 years later. The publishers now estimate it would take a single person 120 years to just type it.

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias, Language Resources /

Oxford English Dictionary This article is about the multi-volume historical dictionary. For other dictionaries published by Oxford University Press, see Oxford dictionary. “OED” redirects here. For other uses, see OED (disambiguation). The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP). It traces the historical […]

In 1879 it was estimated the Oxford English Dictionary would take 10 years to complete, but in five years they’d only reached the word “Ant”. After crowdsourcing readers to help, it was completed 44 years later. The publishers now estimate it would take a single person 120 years to just type it. Read More »

In 1991 a youth group in Denmark wrote to Gorbachev of Russia to ask for a free submarine. He said yes, and 3 years later they received a massive 76 meter (250 ft) submarine.

Government, History /

S-359 (U359) The Rolling Gallery in Kolding was a youth activation project that in 1991 asked the then reigning president of the Soviet Union Gorbachev if he would donate a submarine as a symbol of peace between East and West. Included in the agreement was that it should be renovated via the activation project and

In 1991 a youth group in Denmark wrote to Gorbachev of Russia to ask for a free submarine. He said yes, and 3 years later they received a massive 76 meter (250 ft) submarine. Read More »

After the Battle of Shiloh – 1862, many Civil War soldiers’ lives were saved by a phenomenon called Angel’s Glow. The soldiers who laid in mud for two rainy days had wounds that glowed in the dark and healed unusually fast. In 2001, two teens discovered the reason – bioluminescent bacteria.

Humanities /

Angel’s Glow During the two days of fighting at the Civil War battle of Shiloh (1862) the wounded numbered over 16,000. Many were immobilized in the mud of the rain-soaked fields situated between river and swamp. Their wounds were easily contaminated. And some of these wounds, by many accounts, began to glow. Of the over

After the Battle of Shiloh – 1862, many Civil War soldiers’ lives were saved by a phenomenon called Angel’s Glow. The soldiers who laid in mud for two rainy days had wounds that glowed in the dark and healed unusually fast. In 2001, two teens discovered the reason – bioluminescent bacteria. Read More »

The crime that led Sisyphus to push a boulder was cheating death. He made his wife not bury him properly before he died, chained death, and tricked Persephone into letting him briefly return to earth to scold his wife and ran away instead of returning to hell.

History, Law & Government, Literary Classics /

Sisyphus Sisyphus was the king of Ephyra (Corinth) in Greek mythology. He was the son of King Aeolus of Thessaly and Enarete. He founded Ephyra, which he ruled over as its first king. His spouse was the nymph Merope, with whom he had four children; Glaucus, Ornytion, Almus, and Thersander. Although Sisyphus helped its city

The crime that led Sisyphus to push a boulder was cheating death. He made his wife not bury him properly before he died, chained death, and tricked Persephone into letting him briefly return to earth to scold his wife and ran away instead of returning to hell. Read More »

Habsburg Emperor Joseph II tried to reform Austria into “ideal Enlightened state”. He abolished serfdom, removed restrictions against Jews, gave religious freedom to Protestants and Orthodox and tried to weaken power of Catholic church. But as soon he died all his reforms were abolished

Government, Humanities /

Josephinism “Josephists” redirects here. For the medieval heretics, see Josephines. For other uses, see Josephites. Joseph II by Anton von Maron, 1775 Josephinism was the collective domestic policies of Joseph II, Holy Roman Emperor (1765–1790). During the ten years in which Joseph was the sole ruler of the Habsburg Monarchy (1780–1790), he attempted to legislate

Habsburg Emperor Joseph II tried to reform Austria into “ideal Enlightened state”. He abolished serfdom, removed restrictions against Jews, gave religious freedom to Protestants and Orthodox and tried to weaken power of Catholic church. But as soon he died all his reforms were abolished Read More »

Harriet Tubman suffered a violent head injury as a child causing her to frequently slip into into sleep like states. These would produce vivid dreamlike hallucinations that Tubman interpreted as messages from god, to devote her life to freeing southern slaves through the Underground Railroad.

History, Sensitive Subjects, Social Issues & Advocacy /

The Brain Injury That Helped End Slavery An American icon of freedom and resilience, Harriet Tubman’s portrait is slated to grace the $20 bill beginning in 2030. It’s an auspicious achievement for a hero of civil rights who escaped from slavery, led hundreds of others to do the same, all while balancing a challenging array

Harriet Tubman suffered a violent head injury as a child causing her to frequently slip into into sleep like states. These would produce vivid dreamlike hallucinations that Tubman interpreted as messages from god, to devote her life to freeing southern slaves through the Underground Railroad. Read More »

Around 21 million people in Uganda, half of its population, are under 15 years of age.

Geographic Reference /

Uganda For other uses, see Uganda (disambiguation). Coordinates: 1°N 32°E / 1°N 32°E Uganda (Ugandan Languages: Yuganda ), officially the Republic of Uganda (Swahili: Jamhuri ya Uganda), is a landlocked country in East-Central Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic

Around 21 million people in Uganda, half of its population, are under 15 years of age. Read More »

People who speak Icelandic can still understand the old Icelandic Sagas because of how little the language has changed over the past 1000 years.

Humanities /

Icelandic language Main article: History of Icelandic The oldest preserved texts in Icelandic were written around 1100 AD. Many of the texts are based on poetry and laws traditionally preserved orally. The most famous of the texts, which were written in Iceland from the 12th century onward, are the Icelandic Sagas, which encompass the historical

People who speak Icelandic can still understand the old Icelandic Sagas because of how little the language has changed over the past 1000 years. Read More »

The statue of George Washington in Trafalgar Square in London sits on a base of soil imported from Virginia because Washington swore he would never set foot on British soil again. “In a square that marks one of Britain’s greatest victories stands a reminder of one of its greatest defeats.”

Libraries & Museums, Tourist Destinations /

Why George Washington’s Statue in London Doesn’t Touch British Soil Outside the National Gallery in London sits the strangest statue in Trafalgar Square, or maybe all of England. It’s not bizarre because of its design or composition, but instead for whom the statue honors. It is a replica, one of 25 or more, spread around

The statue of George Washington in Trafalgar Square in London sits on a base of soil imported from Virginia because Washington swore he would never set foot on British soil again. “In a square that marks one of Britain’s greatest victories stands a reminder of one of its greatest defeats.” Read More »

For centuries the city of Troy was considered a myth until it was re-discovered in 1871 in present day Turkey. The area had been excavated before but the ruins of Troy were beneath newer excavations and had gone untouched for millennia even though the site had people living on top of it.

History, Myth & Folklore, Tourist Destinations /

The search for the lost city of Troy Exhibitions and events The myth of the Trojan War has captivated people for thousands of years and has led pilgrims, explorers and archaeologists to search for the location where the famed conflict took place. But did the city really exist? In anticipation of our major autumn exhibition,

For centuries the city of Troy was considered a myth until it was re-discovered in 1871 in present day Turkey. The area had been excavated before but the ruins of Troy were beneath newer excavations and had gone untouched for millennia even though the site had people living on top of it. Read More »

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