Wikipedia eklektiline sügavus XVI
Mappa mundi is a general term used to describe medieval European maps of the world. To modern eyes, mappae mundi can look superficially primitive and inaccurate. However, mappae mundi were never meant to be used as navigational charts and they make no pretense of showing the relative areas of land and water. Rather, mappae mundi were schematic and were meant to illustrate different principles. The larger mappae mundi have the space and detail to illustrate concepts such as the cardinal directions, distant lands, Bible stories, history, mythology, flora, fauna and exotic races. In their fullest form, such as the Ebstorf and Hereford maps, they become minor encyclopedias of medieval knowledge.
Eris is the largest known dwarf planet in the Solar System and the ninth-largest body known to orbit the Sun directly. It is approximately 2,500 kilometres in diameter and 27% more massive than Pluto. Eris has one moon, Dysnomia; recent observations have found no evidence of further satellites. The current distance from the Sun is 96.7 AU, roughly three times that of Pluto. With the exception of some comets the pair are the most distant known natural objects in the Solar System. Because Eris is larger than Pluto, its discoverers and NASA initially described it as the Solar System’s tenth planet. This, along with the prospect of other similarly sized objects being discovered in the future, motivated the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to define the term planet for the first time.
The Happy Valley set was a group of privileged British colonials living in the Happy Valley region of the Wanjohi Valley, near the Aberdare mountain range, in the colonies of Kenya and Uganda during the 1920s – 1940s. The elite social group became notorious for stories of drug use and promiscuous sexual encounters. Typically, the officials and tradesmen looked on the Happy Valley set with disdain and embarrassment. The height of the Happy Valley set’s influence was in the late 1920s. The area around Naivasha, Kenya was one of the first to be settled by white people and one of the hunting grounds of the hedonistic Happy Valley set.
Aeolipile, also known as a Hero engine, is a rocket style jet engine which spins when heated. In the first century AD, Hero of Alexandria described the device, and many sources give him the credit for its invention. The aeolipile he described is considered to be the first recorded steam engine or reaction steam turbine. The name – derived from the Greek words “aeolos” and “pila” – translates to “the ball of Aeolus”; Aeolus being the Greek god of the wind. A device called an aeolipile was described in the 1st century BC by Vitruvius in his treatise De architectura; however, it is unclear whether it is the same device or a predecessor, as there is no mention of any rotating parts.
Muezza is said to have been the Islamic prophet Muhammad’s favorite cat. According to legend, Muhammad one day awoke at the sound of the call to prayer. Preparing to attend, he began to clothe himself; however, he soon discovered Muezza sleeping on the sleeve of his robe. Rather than wake her, he used a pair of scissors to cut the sleeve off, leaving the cat undisturbed; when he returned from prayers, the prophet received a bow from Muezza in thanks.
Purdah is a now less-common term to describe the pre-election period, used in United Kingdom politics to describe the time between an announced election and the final election result. The time period offers a prior opportunity for government departments to develop guidance and policy due to any impact resulting from the election. At the national level, major decisions on policy are postponed until after the purdah period, unless it is in the national interest to proceed or a delay would waste public money.
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