Fifty Bibles of Constantine

We just learned about the Four Great Uncials.

Another part of early Christianity is the Fifty Bibles of Constantine.

When Constantine made it safe to be a Christian in Rome, a lot of people became Christians, and new churches started being made.

In these old times, they didn't have easy ways to make copies of books.
A person called a scribe had to write down by hand every single word every time they wanted to make a copy, so it was a lot of work.

Constantine wanted to make sure that all of the churches were teaching the right things, so he ordered that his scribes make 50 copies of the Bible, and that they would be sent to all the churches in the city of Constantinople.

Most of those Bibles were lost, but some people believe that the Four Great Uncials we just learned about where part of that collection.


(from: wikipedia - fifty bibles of constantine)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Linus - bishop of Rome

Olmec Colossal Heads

We just learned about the Nubian Pyramids in Africa.

Another group of ancient sculptures are the Olmec Colossal Heads.

These are in the states of Veracruz and Tabasco, in Mexico.
They were made thousands of years ago, by the Olmec people who lived in that area long ago.

Archeologists have found 17 different heads built in the area, and all of them, from 4 feet to 11 feet tall.
Because they are so big and heavy, people think that these heads must have been made to honor rulers like kings or queens from those days.



(from: wikipedia - olmec colossal heads)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: He Zun

Norwegian - Counting to Seventy Nine

We counted to 69 in Norwegian, let's keep going!

70 sytti - sounds like seh-tee
71 sytti en - sounds like seh-tee ay-uhn
72 syttito - sounds like seh-tee too
73 syttitre - sounds like seh-tee t-day
74 sytti-fire - sounds like seh-tee fee-dah
75 syttifem - sounds like seh-tee fam
76 syttiseks - sounds like seh-tee seh-ks
77 sytti syv - sounds like seh-tee see-v
78 syttiåtte - sounds like seh-tee oh-tuh
79 syttini - sounds like seh-tee nee


(from: wikipedia - norwegian language)

Greek: εβδομήντα (evdomínta), εβδομήντα ένα (evdomínta éna), εβδομήντα δύο (evdomínta dýo), εβδομήντα τρεις (evdomínta treis), εβδομήντα τέσσερις (evdomínta tésseris), εβδομήντα πέντε (evdomínta pénte), εβδομήντα έξι (evdomínta éxi), εβδομήντα επτά (evdomínta eptá), εβδομήντα οκτώ (evdomínta októ), εβδομήντα εννέα (evdomínta ennéa)

ASL: seventy, seventy one, seventy two, seventy three, seventy four, seventy five, seventy six, seventy seven, seventy eight, seventy nine

Italian: settanta, settantuno, settantadue, settantatre, settantaquattro, settantacinque, settantasei, settantasette, settantotto, settantanove

German: siebzig, einundsiebzig, zweiundsiebzig, dreiundsiebzig, vierundsiebzig, fünfundsiebzig, sechsundsiebzig, siebenundsiebzig, achtundsiebzig, neunundsiebzig

Spanish: setenta, setenta y uno, setenta y dos, setenta y tres, setenta y cuatro, setenta y cinco, setenta y seis, setenta y siete, setenta y ocho, setenta y nueve

French: soixante-dix, soixante et onze, soixante-douze, soixante-treize, soixante-quatorze, soixante-quinze, soixante-seize, soixante dix sept, soixante dix huit, soixante dix neuf

Bearing

We just learned about the Axle.

Another part of machine work is a Bearing.

This is something that lets one part of a wheel spin around without moving another.
Like on a fidget spinner, you can hold the middle of it and the outside will spin around.
Or like a front bicycle wheel, the wheel will spin around the hole in the middle where the front handlebar is attached.

Usually this is done using ball bearings, which are tiny little balls covered in slimy grease.
On the outside is one metal cylinder, then a bunch of ball bearings, and then a smaller inside cylinder.

The outside cylinder can spin while the inside one is stopped, or the other way around.



(from: wikipedia - bearing (mechanical))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Attitude Control

String Jellyfish

We just learned about the Freshwater Jellyfish.

Another type of animal is the String Jellyfish, also called the Barbed Wire Jellyfish, Long Stringy Stingy Thingy, and Apolemia Uvaria.

Just like some other animals, this looks like a jellyfish but it's actually a hydrozoan.

One String Jellyfish is really a whole bunch of little ones all attached together.

This animal can get up to about 10 feet long, and 2 inches wide.
They live like one big long string with pink and white tentacles.
The tentacles are all different animals stuck together on the one big long string in the middle.

These tentacles do have a painful sting but will not kill a person.



(from: wikipedia - apolemia uvaria)


Apolemia uvaria - Gaméou (La Ciotat) - AEGYPT0S

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Humboldt Squid

Eye Color

We just learned about the Iris that opens and closes the pupil.

Another part of the eye is the Eye Color.

The iris we learned about has two parts in it that help make up the eye color.
One is the stroma, and the other is the IPE, which stands for Iris Pigment Epithelium.

That's a lot of big words, but it basically means a bunch of stringy like parts that can have different colors that all blend together to make up your eye color.

The part the really makes a difference is something called melanin.
This is basically like dark paint that your body makes, and the more if it you make the darker your skin, hair and eyes are.

So someone with black hair, dark brown skin and brown eyes has a lot of melanin.
Someone with blond hair, pale skin and blue eyes, has less melanin.


(from: wikipedia - eye color)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Dental Notation - Palmer

Portcullis

We just learned about the Drawbridge.

Another castle fortification is the Portcullis.

This is a big heavy door to a castle that opens and closes by sliding up and down.

It was set into grooves on both walls, and then using ropes, pulleys and cranks it could be raised and lowered.

Because it was set into the walls and was very heavy, it couldn't be shoved open as easy as a normal door.

Some castles would even make two portcullis doors, so they could trap the attackers in between them.



(from: wikipedia - portcullis)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Himeji Castle

Four Great Uncials

We just learned about the Codex Vaticanus, the oldest copy of the Bible ever found.

Another part of early Christianity is the Four Great Uncials.
The word Uncial sounds like "uh-nt-shell" and it means a kind of ancient writing.

Just like the Codex Vaticanus we just learned about, there are three other old writings called Codex that were discovered through the years.

- Codex Vaticanus, written around 300 AD
- Codex Sinaiticus, written around 330 AD
- Codex Alexandrinus, written around 400 AD
- Codex Ephraemi rescriptus, written around 450 AD

These all have the Old Testament and New Testament in them, and because they were found from different parts of the world over a hundred years apart, the Bible historians try to use them to make sure that the Bibles we read are all correct.



(from: wikipedia - great uncial codices)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Asyncritus - bishop of Hyrcania

Nubian Pyramids

We just learned about the Musawwarat Es Sufra temple in Sudan.

Another group of ancient African sculptures are the Nubian Pyramids in Sudan.

These pyramids were built a few at a time over thousands of years, from 2000 BC to 300 AD.
They are made of granite and sandstone, and some of them are about 100 feet tall and 26 feet wide.

Over 350 pyramids have been found so far, over hundreds of miles.
The pyramids are all tombs for ancient kings and queens.

Sadly some people that were greedy and hunting for treasure came to these pyramids and destroyed over 40 pyramids looking for treasure, even sometimes using dynamite to blow them up.

Many of the pyramids have still not been fully explored, because they are flooded and the walls collapse.



(from: wikipedia - nubian pyramids)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Phoenix Crown of Empress Xiaoduanxian

Norwegian - Counting to sixty nine

We counted to 59 in Norwegian, let's keep going!

60 seksti - sounds like seh-ks dee
61 sekstien - sounds like seh-ks dee ay-uh-n
62 seksti to - sounds like seh-ks dee too
63 sekstitre - sounds like seh-ks dee t-day
64 sekstifire - sounds like seh-ks dee fee-duh
65 sekstifem - sounds like seh-ks dee fam
66 sekstiseks - sounds like seh-ks dee seh-ks
67 sekstisju - sounds like seh-ks dee shoo
68 seksti åtte - sounds like seh-ks dee oh-tuh
69 sekstini - sounds like seh-ks dee nee


(from: wikipedia - norwegian language)

Greek: εξήντα (exínta), εξήντα ένα (exínta éna), εξήντα δύο (exínta dýo), εξήντα τρεις (exínta treis), εξήντα τέσσερις (exínta tésseris), εξήντα πέντε (exínta pénte), εξήντα έξι (exínta éxi), εξήντα επτά (exínta eptá), εξήντα οκτώ (exínta októ), εξήντα εννέα (exínta ennéa)

ASL: fifty, fifty one, fifty two, fifty three, fifty four, fifty five, fifty six, fifty seven, fifty eight, fifty nine

Italian: sessanta, sessantuno, sessantadue, sessantatre, sessantaquattro, sessantacinque, sessantasei, sessantasette, sessantotto, sessantanove

German: sechzig, einundsechzig, zweiundsechzig, dreiundsechzig, vierundsechzig, fünfundsechzig, sechsundsechzig, siebenundsechzig, achtundsechzig, neunundsechzig

Spanish: sesenta, sesenta y uno, sesenta y dos, sesenta y tres, sesenta y cuatro, sesenta y cinco, sesenta y seis, sesenta y siete, sesenta y ocho, sesenta y nueve

French: soixante, soixante et un, soixante-deux, soixante-trois, soixante-quatre, soixante-cinq, soixante-six, soixante-sept, soixante-huit, soixante-neuf

Axle

We just learned about the big long spinning pole called the Shaft.

Another part of machines is an Axle.

An axle is a long spinning pole like a shaft, but it is connected to wheels on either side.
It is also usually used to help hold up something like a car or a train.

Sometimes the axle doesn't spin but the wheels do, kind of like on a bike.
When a bicycle's wheel spins, the metal post inside the wheel does not spin.
This is usually called a spindle instead of an axle.

Cars and trucks are sometimes talked about by how many axles they have.
This really means how many sets of wheels across from each other are there.
So a normal car would be 2 axles, but a big semi truck might have 5 or more axles on it to help spread out the weight carried by each axle.

Sometimes they have more than one set of wheels on an axle to help hold the weight, but that still only counts as one axle.


(from: wikipedia - axle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)

Freshwater Jellyfish

We just learned about the Creeping Comb Jelly.

Another type of jellyfish is the Freshwater Jellyfish, also called the Craspedcusta Sowerbii.

Just like the name says, this jellyfish lives in freshwater, not in saltwater like the oceans.

It comes from China, but it has been found pretty much everywhere in the world, from North America to Australia.

It grows to about one inch wide, and has tiny little tentacles that have stingers to catch its prey, but the stingers aren't strong enough for a human to even feel the sting.


(from: wikipedia - craspedcusta sowerbii)


Freshwater Jellyfish - The Jellyfish Warehouse

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Southern Sand Octopus

Iris

We just learned about the Pupil black circle in the eye.

Another part of the eye is the Iris.

The iris is the part of the eye with color.
Most eyes are either brown or blue, but they can be other colors like green, hazel, grey or red.

Remember that the pupil is just a hole that lets light in to the eye to see.
The iris has the muscles that make the pupil bigger or smaller.


(from: wikipedia - iris (anatomy))


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Dental Notation - ISO

Drawbridge

We just learned about the Castle Keep.

Another part of a castle is a Drawbridge.

This is a type of bridge that goes across a moat, that can be pulled up to keep people from getting into the castle.

Drawbridges are still used today for bridges that go across rivers or lakes.

There are a few different types of drawbridges, like a bascule bridge that has two ends that lift up in the middle, a vertical lift bridge that has one piece that goes up and down together, or a swing bridge that spins in the middle.






(from: wikipedia - drawbridge)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Citadel of Aleppo

Codex Vaticanus

We just learned that Christology is the study of what Jesus was really like.

Another part of early Christian history is the Codex Vaticanus.

This is the oldest copy of the Bible still existing in the world, written some time around 325 AD, over 1,500 years ago!

It is written in Greek, and has copies of the Old Testament and New Testament in it.

The Codex was found some time around 1400 AD, and has been in the library in Vatican City since then, for over 500 years.

People have used this codex to make sure that the Bibles that people have today teach the history as it was written down over a thousand years ago.


(from: wikipedia - codex vaticanus)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Rufus - Bishop of Thebes

Musawwarat es-Sufra

We just learned about the Lalibela Cross.

Another African sculpture is the Musawwarat es-Sufra temple in Sudan, built some time before the year 300 BC.

This temple has a large sculpture of an elephant, and a room with some very tall columns.
It also has a relief sculpture of some of the ancient gods from the people who lived back then.





(from: wikipedia - musawwarat es-sufra)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Shi Qiang Pan