HISTORY By Meera Nair XC Which is the

HISTORY By, Meera Nair X-C

Which is the Oldest Medical Encyclopaedia? Sushruta Samhita, The Oldest Medical And Surgical Encyclopaedia Known To Mankind � Written during the 6 th century BC, the Sushruta Samhita contains 184 chapters with descriptions of 1, 120 illnesses, 700 medicinal plants, 64 preparations from mineral sources and 57 preparations based on animal sources. Its author Sushruta is also considered to be the first ever human to perform medical surgeries on humans. �

What is known as the Gobekli Tepe? � Gobekli Tepe is considered a site of great importance to archaeologists as it belongs to the early Neolithic period when humans were still hunters and gatherers. Made with massive stones, the structure is a marvel and a puzzle to archaeologists who wonder how a society that predates pottery, metallurgy, writing, or the invention of the wheel could build it. According to current observations, Gobekli Tepe, which is 6, 000 years older than Stonehenge, could be the world’s first temple and has the oldest known megaliths.

Astounding India An ancient text, which was written around 600 BC, talks about atomic theory. It clearly states that every object is made up of atoms and several atoms combine to form molecules. � India was known as golden bird because of her massive wealth. In fact, most of the invaders came to India in search of wealth. Also, diamonds were found only in ancient India until it was discovered during the 18 th century in Brazil. �

Indian History Facts While history credits Copernicus for proposing the heliocentric model of our solar system, it was the Rig Veda that first noted the central placement of the sun and other planets orbiting it in the solar system. � “Sun moves in its orbit which itself is moving. Earth and other bodies move around sun due to force of attraction, because sun is heavier than them. ” � “The sun moves in its own orbit but holding earth and other heavenly bodies in a manner that they do not collide with each other through force of attraction. ” �

Yoga was practiced in ancient India. There are several evidences to prove that the spiritual practice was a way of everyday life for the ancient Indians. � Navigation was an important aspect for the people of Indus valley civilization. Ancient Indians had mastered the art of navigation 6000 years ago. �

Chess is believed to have been was invented in ancient India. It was also a very popular game as many ancient paintings depict the game being played by Lord Krishna and his consort Radha. � Ancient Indians were experts in metallurgy. They had mastered the process of zinc extraction during the 10 th century B. C. There also evidences of ancient zinc mines which existed in the 6 th century B. C near present day Rajasthan. �

Did Newton explain Gravity or was it already known before? Yet again, way before Isaac Newton explained gravity, ancient Indian scholars had already figured out how it worked. � Rig Veda 10. 22. 14 � “This earth is devoid of hands and legs, yet it moves ahead. All the objects over the earth also move with it. It moves around the sun. ” �

The Brilliance of Ancient Indians “Yug sahasra yojana par bhanu, � leelyo taahi madhura phal jaanu” � The above excerpt is from the Hanuman Chalisa and translates to: ‘[When] Hanuman travelled thousands of kilometres to swallow it thinking of it as a fruit’. The word-to-word translation of the same excerpt reveals the distance that Hanuman travelled. � 1 Yuga = 12000 years. 1 Sahsra Yuga = 12000000 years. Also, 1 Yojan = 8 miles. � Hence, “Yug Sahsra Yojana”, the first 3 words mean 12000 x 12000000 x 8 = 96000000 miles or 153, 600, 000 kilometres. Interestingly, the actual distance from earth to sun is 152, 000 kms. Bafflingly, there’s error of just around 1%.

What is known as the Macuahuitl? � The sword known as “macuahuitl” was a wooden sword with obsidian blades and used as the standard close combat weapon. Obsidian is a hard glass-like rock formed when the lava from a volcano solidifies rapidly before it could crystallize. The obsidian blades were discontinuously arranged with gaps along the side or sometimes they were set close together forming a single edge. According to the Spanish conquistadors, the weapon was so cleverly built that the blades could neither be pulled out nor could they be broken.

Where are the terms ‘Tragedy’ and ‘Comedy’ derived from? � Most people already know that comedy and tragedy originated in Greece. What many people seem to ignore, however, is precisely how these two terms were born. The word “tragedy” comes from the Greek word for “goat-song, ” because early Greek tragedies honoured Dionysus, the god of wine, and the people on stage therefore wore goatskins. Tragedies were noble stories of gods, kings, and heroes. Comedies, or “revel, ” on the other hand, were most often about lower-class characters and their hilarious antics.

The World’s First Shopping Mall � The first-ever shopping mall was built by the Emperor Trajan in Rome itself. It consisted of several stories and more than 150 outlets that sold everything ranging from food and drink to clothes and spices. It is also known as Trajan’s Market and it’s essentially the world’s first “modernized” mall, at least in terms of the concept.

The Origin of Toasting � The tradition of toasting continued in ancient Rome, but with an addition that gave the custom it’s current name: Romans would drop a piece of toasted bread into each wine glass, so as to temper undesirable tastes or excessive acidity. So today we might make a toast to happiness, but back in ancient times it was a matter of life and death!

The Speed of Light � Sayana, a vedic scholar from the 14 th century once said, "With deep respect, I bow to the sun, who travels 2, 202 yojanas in half a nimesha. " A yojana is 9 miles; a nimesha is 16/75 of a second. Therefore, 2, 202 yojanas x 9 miles x 75/8 nimeshas = 185, 794 miles per second or 2, 99, 000 kilometres per second. That’s astonishingly close to the real ‘scientifically-proven’ 3, 000 kilometres per second figure. It’s often believed that his source was none other than the Vedas.

Who invented the first Seismograph? � Most people assume that the seismograph is a product of the Western world—but that’s not actually the case. In A. D. 130, Zhang Heng, a Chinese astronomer and literary scholar, invented the first instrument for monitoring earthquakes. The machine was able to detect and pinpoint the general location of the quake. So Zhang Heng is essentially the grandfather of the modern-day Seismograph, though he doesn’t usually get much credit for it.

What is known as the French Revolution? � The French Revolution was a watershed event in modern European history that began in 1789. During this period, French citizens razed and redesigned their country’s political landscape, uprooting centuries-old institutions such as absolute monarchy and the feudal system. The upheaval was caused by widespread discontent with the French monarchy and the poor economic policies of King Louis XVI, who met his death by guillotine, as did his wife Marie Antoinette. The French Revolution played a critical role in shaping modern nations by showing the world the power inherent in the will of the people.

What is special about The Capuchin Crypt? � The Capuchin Crypt in Rome consists of five chapels, as well as a corridor two hundred feet (60 m) long, and it’s decorated with the bones of 4, 000 deceased monks. The Catholic order insists that the display is not meant to be macabre, but a silent reminder of our own precarious mortality. The coffee drink Cappuccino takes its name from this order of monks, who were known for their custom of wearing a hood, or cappucio, with their habits.

What is the American Revolution? � The Revolutionary War (1775 -83), also known as the American Revolution, arose from growing tensions between residents of Great Britain’s 13 North American colonies and the colonial government, which represented the British crown. Skirmishes between British troops and colonial militiamen in Lexington and Concord in April 1775 kicked off the armed conflict, and by the following summer, the rebels were waging a full-scale war for their independence. The British surrendered at Yorktown, Virginia, in 1781, the Americans had effectively won their independence, though fighting would not formally end until 1783.

Interesting Fact � In 1867, Russia sold the territory of Alaska to the U. S. for $7. 2 million. A mere 50 years later, the Americans had earned that amount back 100 times over.

What is known as the Underground Railroad? � The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early to mid-19 th century, and used by African. American slaves to escape into free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists, both black and white, free and enslaved, who aided the fugitives. Various other routes led to Mexico or overseas.

What is the Russian Revolution? � The Russian Revolution of 1917 was one of the most explosive political events of the twentieth century. The violent revolution marked the end of the Romanov dynasty and centuries of Russian Imperial rule. During the Russian Revolution, the Bolsheviks, led by leftist revolutionary Vladimir Lenin, seized power and destroyed the tradition of czarist rule. The Bolsheviks would later become the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

Interesting Facts about the Russian Revolution � � � For 303 years the Russian Tsar came from the House of Romanov. Although the February Revolution began on March 8 according to our calendar, it was February 23 on the Russian (Julian) calendar. Sometimes the Bolshevik Revolution is referred to as the October Revolution. The main leaders of the Bolsheviks were Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and Leon Trotsky. After Lenin died in 1924, Stalin consolidated power and forced Trotsky out. Tsar Nicholas II and his entire family were executed by the Bolsheviks on July 17, 1918.

What is known as India’s most closely guarded secret? Freedom at Midnight, a book by Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre, delves into the partition of India. According to them, the partition could have been avoided if “the most closely guarded secret in India” had been known. The secret was that Jinnah was suffering from tuberculosis and had just a year or two to live. � If the people opposing the partition would have had knowledge of Jinnah’s approaching demise, then they would have definitely stalled the process until he was too ill to make decisions or had passed away. Jinnah knew this and kept his secret well-guarded. He died 11 months after the formation of Pakistan. �

Why is the Fall of the Berlin Wall Symbolic? Tearing down a wall might not seem like much, but when you realize what all else came down with that wall, you begin to see it in a whole new light. At the end of World War II, there was suspicion between countries and a desire to control as much land as possible. The nations that defeated Hitler and his allies began to quarrel amongst themselves. Germany was the embodiment of the war, and therefore, it became the most disputed area. � In the end, it was split in half with one part under a communist government and the other under a more democratic style. Through the middle of Berlin, a large wall was built to separate the capital city and symbolize the wall that separated the communist world from everyone else. � When the wall came down in 1989, it signified the end of communist rule and birth of the voice of the people. �

The Berlin Wall On August 13, 1961, the Communist government of the German Democratic Republic (GDR, or East Germany) began to build a barbed wire and concrete “Antifascistischer Schutzwall, ” or “antifascist bulwark, ” between East and West Berlin. The official purpose of this Berlin Wall was to keep Western “fascists” from entering East Germany and undermining the socialist state, but it primarily served the objective of stemming mass defections from East to West. The Berlin Wall stood until November 9, 1989, when the head of the East German Communist Party announced that citizens of the GDR could cross the border whenever they pleased. That night, ecstatic crowds swarmed the wall. Some crossed freely into West Berlin, while others brought hammers and picks and began to chip away at the wall itself. To this day, the Berlin Wall remains one of the most powerful and enduring symbols of the Cold War.

Thank You and I Hope you enjoyed it.