1323 facts
Executed in 1431, Joan of Arc was not declared a saint until May 16, 1920. This long delay occurred because the Church was initially embarrassed by its role in her death. While a 1...
Isabelle Romée refused to accept her daughter's reputation as a heretic. In 1455, she petitioned Pope Callixtus III to reopen the case, leading to a massive 'rehabilitation trial.'...
On May 30, 1431, Joan was burned at the stake in Rouen wearing a paper miter labeled 'heretic, apostate, idolater.' While she faced many charges, her refusal to stop wearing men's...
On May 23, 1430, Joan of Arc was defending the town of Compiègne against Burgundian forces. While her army retreated, Joan remained with the rear guard to ensure the safety of her...
To transform the young peasant into a military icon, the French court commissioned a custom suit of plate armor from master craftsmen. This specialized gear cost approximately 100...
While often depicted as a warrior, Joan of Arc testified at her trial that she never spilled blood. She carried a heavy white banner to inspire her troops and lead them into the he...
In 1429, a teenage peasant girl named Joan of Arc traveled to Chinon to meet the future King Charles VII. She claimed divine voices instructed her to save France from English occup...
Located on the vast Nullarbor Plain, this section of the Trans-Australian Railway runs in a perfectly straight line for 478 kilometers. The landscape is so flat and featureless tha...
Rising 14,800 feet above sea level, this massive plateau creates a drag on the atmosphere. It disrupts jet streams and monsoon winds, forcing air to move around its 965,000-square-...
Jupiter has the strongest magnetic field in our solar system, roughly 20,000 times more powerful than Earth's. Generated by a deep layer of liquid metallic hydrogen, this field cre...
A compass needle is a small magnet that aligns with the Earth's magnetic field. Because this field is relatively weak, the steel casing and internal materials of a battery can crea...
In the age of sail, precision was vital for survival. Sailors used 32 specific points, such as 'North-Northeast by North,' with each representing exactly 11.25 degrees. Trainees ha...
Salmon possess tiny magnetic crystals in their noses that act like a GPS. As juveniles, they memorize the unique magnetic signature of their home river. Years later, they use this...
Traditional compass needles are too slow for high-speed aircraft and drones. Fluxgate magnetometers solve this by using electrical pulses and magnetic cores to determine direction...
While Western compasses focus on navigation, the Luo Pan is a specialized Feng Shui tool. Its rings contain zodiac signs, the five elements, and trigrams used to calculate the flow...
Scientists discovered millions of tiny magnetite crystals in the human brain, particularly in the ethmoid bone near the nose. A 2019 study revealed that human brain waves react to...
Lodestone is a magnetic form of the mineral magnetite. When lightning strikes the ground, its intense electrical current can permanently realign the atoms in these rocks, turning t...
The North Pole is a fixed point on Earth's axis, but Magnetic North is a shifting location driven by molten iron in the core. The angle between these two points is called magnetic...
Earth's core is far too hot to be a permanent magnet. Every magnetic material has a Curie Point, which is the temperature where atomic vibrations destroy magnetic alignment. For ir...
Bees use tiny magnetite crystals to sense the Earth's magnetic field. This internal compass helps them navigate to flowers and return to the hive even on cloudy days when the sun i...
Before magnetic compasses were standard, sailors used a 'Rose of the Winds' to navigate the Mediterranean. This circular diagram labeled the eight primary winds, such as 'Tramontan...
Before the magnetic compass arrived in Europe, Vikings relied on a 'sólstein' or sunstone to find the sun through thick clouds. Scientists believe these were crystals like Iceland...
Instead of a physical needle, your phone uses a solid-state magnetometer. This tiny silicon chip detects voltage changes caused by magnetic fields, a process called the Hall Effect...
Unlike a magnetic compass, a gyrocompass uses a fast-spinning wheel and Earth's rotation to find True North. It is immune to magnetic interference from metal hulls, making it essen...
Invented in China during the Han Dynasty around 200 BC, these early compasses were known as 'south-pointing spoons.' Carved from naturally magnetic lodestone, the spoon-shaped tool...
While the world uses 'yak' for both sexes, the female is actually called a 'dri.' In the Himalayas, asking for 'yak milk' is a common mistake because only a dri can produce milk.
Yak racing is a highlight of traditional Tibetan events like the Shoton Festival. Unlike graceful horse racing, yak races are chaotic and entertaining because yaks are notoriously...
Unlike other cattle, yaks have long, silky tail hair similar to a horse's mane. During the 1700s, white yak hair became a prized material for British and French nobles to craft pow...
Unlike most cattle, yaks lack functional sweat glands and live in freezing temperatures that prevent odor-causing bacteria from growing. This lack of scent makes it nearly impossib...
For over 2,000 years, yaks were the only animals capable of transporting heavy goods across the Himalayas. Unlike horses or camels, yaks thrive in extreme cold and low-oxygen envir...
While yaks have coarse outer hair, their hidden inner layer is incredibly soft and naturally hypoallergenic. These hollow fibers trap heat more efficiently than solid sheep wool an...
During the Butter Lantern Festival, monks carve intricate figures of deities and animals from cold yak butter. These sculptures can reach heights of 30 feet. To prevent the butter...
Yaks use a collective defense strategy to protect their young from predators like wolves and snow leopards. When danger is detected, the herd gathers in a tight circle, placing vul...
Yaks are built for extreme cold and thin air. Below 3,000 meters (10,000 feet), they suffer from heat exhaustion and respiratory distress. Their thick coats and lack of sweat gland...
In the 1890s, surveyors used the tower's height for triangulation to calculate precise distances and angles across the country. By sighting the tower from various locations, mapmak...
Every structure has a natural frequency at which it vibrates. If external forces like wind or traffic match this frequency, the building can shake violently. Gustave Eiffel enginee...
Standing 330 meters tall, the tower is a perfect observation post for scientists to monitor migratory species crossing Europe. Using cameras and sensors, researchers can identify b...
Originally lit by 10,000 gas lamps, the tower was electrified for the 1900 World's Fair. This massive project required miles of wiring to be threaded through its iron frame. Today,...
In 1889, scientists used the Eiffel Tower's massive height to replicate the famous Foucault pendulum experiment. They hung a heavy lead weight from a long wire on the second floor....
Since 1999, four motorized 6,000-watt xenon lamps have crowned the Eiffel Tower. These searchlights rotate 360 degrees, casting beams that reach far beyond the city of Paris. This...
Sound moves at different speeds depending on the density of the material. While sound travels at roughly 343 meters per second in air, it reaches 5,120 meters per second in the tow...
To build the tower, a four-person team worked on every single rivet. One person heated the rivet, another held it in place, a third shaped the head, and a fourth hammered it down....
Standing 330 meters tall, the Eiffel Tower is the highest point in Paris and a natural target for lightning. To protect the structure and its visitors, engineers installed a sophis...
The Eiffel Tower is made of iron, which expands when it gets warm. When sunlight heats one side, that side grows slightly, causing the tower to tilt away from the sun. The top can...
Gustave Eiffel defended his tower against critics by calling it a temple of science. He engraved the names of 72 legendary figures like Ampère and Fourier in gold letters below the...
While it looks like steel, the tower consists of 18,038 pieces of puddled iron. In the late 1880s, steel was too expensive and difficult to mass-produce. Puddled iron was chosen be...
Made of puddled iron, the tower is vulnerable to corrosion from rain and air. To protect it, workers apply a fresh coat of paint by hand every seven years. They use three different...
Eiffel used the 300-meter-high tower as a giant science lab to study wind, air pressure, and lightning. He installed advanced instruments and even hosted Thomas Edison there to dis...
Originally built for the 1889 World's Fair, the tower had a permit to stand for only 20 years. To save his creation, Gustave Eiffel proved its scientific value by installing a wire...
Gustave Eiffel used his experience as a bridge builder to design a tower that resists wind pressure. The curved iron beams form a grid with large gaps, allowing air to flow through...