Did you know

From New World Encyclopedia


John Calvin

Calvin's doctrine of predestination teaches that salvation is given only to those whom God has chosen, and that it is a free gift not contingent on anything they have done or will do

Anton Bruckner

For Anton Bruckner, like Bach, music served the purpose of praising and glorifying God

Chinese dragon

Unlike the Western dragon of Europe that is representative of evil, the many Eastern versions of the dragon are powerful spiritual symbols, representing seasonal cycles and supernatural forces.

Margaret Mead

Margaret Mead firmly believed that human behavior was learned and so could be reshaped by a society determined to make changes for the better.

Golden Horde

The Golden Horde was a Mongol state established in the thirteenth century after the break up of the Mongol Empire

Herbert Spencer

The term "survival of the fittest" was coined by Herbert Spencer

Nelson Mandela

Nelson Mandela served 27 years in prison for protesting Apartheid before becoming president of South Africa

Waseda University

The Waseda University academic cap is square and was specially designed to be unique, immediately identifying its wearer as a Waseda student

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is the only one of the North American Great Lakes wholly within the borders of the United States

Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall discovered that chimpanzees use tools, an ability previously thought to be uniquely human.

Military-industrial complex

The term "military-industrial complex" was first used publicly by Dwight D. Eisenhower in his farewell address on January 17, 1961

Chaim Weizmann

Chaim Weizmann was a noteworthy scientist before becoming the first president of Israel

Traditional Chinese medicine

Traditional Chinese medicine is a broad range of medicine practices developed in China, including various forms of herbal medicine, acupuncture, massage (Tui na), exercise (qigong), and dietary therapy

Imre Kertesz

Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2002, Imre Kertesz, was a Holocaust concentration camp survivor

Graham Greene

Graham Greene's intense focus on moral issues, politics, and religion, mixed with suspense and adventure, became the trademark of his popular novels.

Great Flood

The story of Noah's flood may not be the most ancient of the flood stories that exist in cultures around the world

Cherokee

Despite their cooperation with white settlers, which had earned them recognition as one of the Five Civilized Tribes, thousands of Cherokees were sent to their death on the Trail of Tears.

Cockroach

Cockroaches display group decision-making when choosing food sources and hiding places

Ashoka

Ashoka played a critical role in developing Buddhism into a world religion

Tuscarora (tribe)

After conflict with European settlers the Tuscarora left their lands in North Carolina and settled in New York where they became the sixth tribe to join the Iroquois Confederacy

Shroud of Turin

The shroud of Turin, which bears the image of a crucified man claimed to be Jesus, is kept in the royal chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy.

Joseph Warren

Joseph Warren died during the Battle of Bunker Hill, fighting in the front lines for the American Revolution

Holocaust

The Jews of Europe were the main victims of the Holocaust in what the Nazis called the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question"

Asherah

Together, El (sometimes Yahweh) and Ashera were viewed as the father and mother of the gods

Tipi

For the Plains Indians, the tipi was more than just a home—it was a sacred space.

Bob Hope

Bob Hope is recognized as "The Most Honored Entertainer" by The Guinness Book of World Records

Easter Island

Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, is famous for its massive stone sculptures known as "moai"

Nelson Rockefeller

Nelson Rockefeller served as governor of New York State from 1959 to 1973 and as the 41st vice president of the United States of America from 1974 to 1977

Nineveh

Nineveh was the largest city in the world prior to its destruction in 612 B.C.E.

Naphthalene

Naphthalene is the primary ingredient in mothballs

Phoenix (mythology)

Diverse cultures include variations on the phoenix, a bird with the ability to be reborn

Mercury (planet)

Mercury is the smallest and innermost planet in the solar system, orbiting the Sun once every 88 days

Mohawk

As original members of the Iroquois League, or Haudenosaunee, the Mohawk were known as the "Keepers of the Eastern Door" who guarded the Iroquois Confederation against invasion from that direction

Osage Nation

The Osage reservation was the poorest for agriculture but they became rich when oil was found there.

Walter Lippmann

Walter Lippmann was the first to bring the phrase "Cold War" to common currency in his 1947 book by the same name

Crucifixion

The goal of Roman crucifixion was not just death, but also dishonor

Rotifer

"Rotifer" is derived from Latin "wheel-bearer" due to the corona around the mouth that resembles a wheel

Herod the Great

Although Herod the Great did much good as a ruler, including rebuilding of the Temple of Jerusalem, he is best remembered as a cruel tyrant who murdered his family members and ordered the massacre of infant boys in Bethlehem at the time of the bir

Milton Friedman

Milton Friedman is considered the most influential economist of the second half of the twentieth century

Treaty of Nanking

The Treaty of Nanking ended the First Opium War between the United Kingdom and China

Nation-state

A nation-state is a political entity (sovereign state) that governs a cultural entity (nation) by successfully serving all its citizens

Idi Amin

For his killing of civilians, Idi Amin was called the "Butcher of Uganda," although he preferred to call himself Dada—"Big Daddy"

Tariff

Tariffs may be classified into three groups: transit duties, export duties, and import duties.

Alice Walker

Pulitzer Prize winning author Alice Walker was active in the Civil Rights Movement