Chocolate
Although chocolate was discovered nearly 2,000 years ago, people didn't eat it until a...
The period from 1451 to 1729 is known as the "Age of Exploration," and it was during this time that the evolution of sailing took some of its most significant steps. Before the fifteenth century, there was little difference between a merchant ship and a war ship, other than the job at hand at any given time. This changed during the Age of Exploration, though both merchants and warriors used new technology to create better efficiency. The appearance of the three-masted ship led to larger crafts and cargoes. The invention of the whipstaff, a bar extending from the tiller, eased steering and made ships easier to maneuver. There were also significant advances in navigation during this period. While compasses had been utilized for some time, it was the addition of the hourglass that allowed sailors to perform dead reckoning, logging their locations miles at sea centuries before modern global positioning systems were invented.
Although chocolate was discovered nearly 2,000 years ago, people didn't eat it until a...
Alfred Stieglitz, an American photographer, is known not only for his striking black and w...
In the 1700s the astronomer Edmond Halley studied historical records of the appearance of ...