All Articles
Is there Such a thing as Weather in Space ?
Space is, famously, a pretty empty place. So, how is it possible to have weather there?
Why did Britain and France not declare war on the Soviet Union when the Red Army marched on Poland in September 1939?
During September 1939 both Germany and the Soviet Union invaded Poland. Both Britain and France had pledged to defend Poland. So why didn’t the allies declare war on the Soviet union as well as Germany?
The Redcoats are Coming ! – But Why Were the British ‘Red Coats’, Red?
Ever wondered why the iconic symbol of British Empire and military prowess – the’Red Coats’ – are red? The answer might surprise you! Why did the British Army Wear Red ? Its official adoption dates from February 1645, when in the middle of the English Civil War, the English Parliament passed the New Model Army ordinance. The New Model Army The New Model Army ordinance of 1645 prescribed that the English...
A History of the Atom : Theories and Models
How have our ideas about atoms changed over the years? In this article we look at how our atomic models have developed over time. It is entirely probable that we aren’t there yet and our understanding of the strange world, that is the realm of sub-atomic particle, will change again at some time in the future. Although our article starts in the 1800s, the idea of atoms was around long before that. It is in Ancient Greece that we...
Why Do Light Bulbs Light Up
Why Do Light Bulbs Light Up? The answer to this one is in fact changing … In this article we look at BOTH Incandescent and LED Light bulbs.
Guernsey’s Liberation Monument – A Fusion of Art and Science
In the summer of 1994 the States of Guernsey commissioned the design for a new Liberation Monument, to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Liberation from the German occupying forces in 1945. The result is a truly amazing fusion of art and science. On the 9th May each year the shadow from the needle-like monument falls across a bench recording the events of that day at the exact same time they occurred.
The Worlds Longest Running Battery
In a physics lab at the University of Oxford there is a battery that has been powering a metal ball ringing two bells for a staggering 175 years and nobody knows why.
The Guernsey Grape Industry
Guernsey’s historical pre-eminance as a horticultural centre for tomatoes is well known. Less well known is Guernseys cultivation of table grapes, which at one time was THE main export industry. The remnants of this industry can still be found in the language of your average ‘guern’ today – who often refers to greenhouses exclusively as vineries – even though its many decades since they grew any grapes.
Were the Moon Landings Fake ? – Debunking The Conspiracy Theories
To have to be forced to even think about debunking this question is something of a sad indictment of our current zeitgeist. That said, the Moon Landing conspiracy, is one of those theories that seems to persist – so we’ll give it our best shot to explain the most pertinent objections that are often quoted as ‘proof’ that it was all fake, and nothing more than an attempt to humiliate the Russians and hoodwink the world in the cause of American glory.
Origins of Some English Eponyms : Titch, Platonic, Maudlin, Machiavellian
Eponyms are one of the most fascinating examples of how the English language gains new words. In this article we take a colourful look at the phenomenon that is the eponym gathering together the stories of the people behind the words that have passed into our everyday vocabulary : Titch; Platonic; Maudlin and Machiavellian.
How Can Flies Fly at Speed into a Pane of Glass and Seemingly Remain Uninjured ?
How Can Flies Fly at Speed into a Pane of Glass and Seemingly Remain Uninjured ?
The answer lies in a basic physics equation – one we would all have learned at school – and in the fact that the anatomy of a fly is rather springy.
5 Words Introduced to the English Language by Rudyard Kipling
Shakespeare is often credited as a the most prolific contributor of many of the words we use today in the English language. However he’s not the only venerable writer to do so. Rudyard Kipling, author of The Jungle Book, was also a highly prolific contributor, coining and popularising many words and phrases still in use in modern English.
Why is Pluto no longer classed as a Planet ?
When the “New Horizons” NASA space probe left earth on January 19th 2006, Pluto was the 9th and final planet from the sun. When it finally arrived 9 1/2 years later in July 2015 it wasn’t! By then Pluto had been down graded to a dwarf planet. So what happened to poor old Pluto to diminish it so?
The Origins of England’s Three Lions
“It’s coming home, it’s coming home, it’s coming, Football’s coming home ” – So goes the ever popular 1996 “Three Lions” song. So when did the three lions symbol come to be used as England’s royal arms and therefore on the England team shirts ? The answers is somewhat surprising and reveals why in the past we might’ve been singing “three leopards on a shirt”
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