Photograph by hemmob
Q: What was the initial purpose of the chainsaw?
A: In unskilled hands, a chainsaw can be dangerous. It might even cut through an arm or a leg. ironically, that was what the first chainsaw was invented for. A German named Bernard Heine (1800-1846) invented an early type of chainsaw in 1830. He called it an osteotome. in those days, before general anaesthetics, surgeons depended on speed to shorten the suffering of patients. The chainsaw was designed to speed up amputations by cutting through bone more quickly than was possible with conventional methods. The device was operated by turning a crank manually, much like you would if you were using a hand mixer. A Swiss German, Andreas Stihl (1896-1973), patented and developed an electric chainsaw for cutting wood in 1926. Three years later he patented a gas-powered model. Stihl is generally regarded as the father of the modern chainsaw.
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Q: Why do the countries Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, and others all end in “stan”?
A: The Middle Eastern suffix “stan” is an ancient Farsi word for “homeland.” Kazakhstan is from the word “kazakh, meaning “free,” while Kyrgyzstan means “home of forty tribes.” Pakistan is an exception. This modern republic took its name from the first letters of Punjab, Afghanistan, and Kashmir, with the suffix “istan” taken from the province of Balochistan. The name “Afghanistan” can be traced to the ninth-century Iranian Emperor Apakan.
Photograph by indigoprime
Ever wonder about shares in a company? With the stock market fluctuating so unpredictably throughout 2007 and into 2008, let us pose a simple question and maybe even dive back in time:
Photograph of the New York Stock Exchange by Helico
Q: Why are shares in a company called “stock”?
A: The modern concept of sharing capital ownership was initiated by the Dutch East India Company in 1612, which raised money by selling pieces of the business to the public. This process gave the Dutch East India Company the ability to grow and share its profits with its “shareholders.” The original meaning of the word “stock” was the trunk of a tree. Like that trunk, stock in a corporation supplies the necessities of life to the branches. This nourishment to any size company is cash.
Stocks and shares are the same thing. Stock refers to an overall ownership in one or more companies within a portfolio. Shares signify ownership of one specific individual company.
Today a “stock market” is a place where securities are bought and sold, but the first one in London, England, was a fourteenth-century fish-and-meat market and was so called because it was built on a site formerly occupied by the stocks used for corporal punishment.
Are you a trivial pursuit geek, a general know-it-all, or a mere genius by chance? Maybe all three combined? We’re putting together quizzes for you to test your knowledge (or superhuman abilities) and show off to your friends! Check out the Quiz Yourself page for a new quiz (with more coming soon!).
