Stachys - bishop of Byzantium

We just learned about the Urban Bishop of Macedonia one of the seventy disciples.

Another of the seventy was Stachys - bishop of Byzantium.

Stachys was a friend of Saint Andrew and Saint Paul, and was set up as a church leader in the Byzantine area, which is in Turkey.
This place would eventually become the home of the emperor Constantine.


(from: wikipedia - stachys the apostle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Proverbs 18

Li gui

We just learned about the Flying Horse of Gansu.

Another ancient Chinese sculpture is the Li gui, a small bronze bowl about 11 inches tall, made some time around 1,000 BC.

This sculpture is very important in China, because long ago they did not save records of all of their history, so people are not sure what happened or when it happened.

The Li gui is the oldest bronze sculpture from the time in Chinese history called the Zhou dynasty that lasted about 800 years.

There is some writing on the inside of the bowl that has helped people figure out important dates in history, thousands of years ago.
The writing mostly talks about King Wu winning a battle over the Shang dynasty, the people that ruled before the Zhou dynasty took over.



(from: wikipedia - li gui)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Madonna and Child - Laurana

Greek - Counting to Twenty Nine

We counted to 20 in Greek, let's keep going!

21 είκοσι ένα (eíkosi éna) - sounds like ay-EE-koh-see AY-nah
22 είκοσι δύο (eíkosi dýo) - sounds like ay-EE-koh-see DEE-y-oh
23 είκοσι τρεις (eíkosi treis) - sounds like ay-EE-koh-see t-day-ss
24 είκοσι τέσσερις (eíkosi tésseris) - sounds like ay-EE-koh-see TAY-say-dee-ss
25 είκοσι πέντε (eíkosi pénte) - sounds like ay-EE-koh-see PAY-n-tay
26 είκοσι έξι (eíkosi éxi) - sounds like ay-EE-koh-see AY-k-see
27 είκοσι επτά (eíkosi eptá) - sounds like ay-EE-koh-see ay-p-TAH
28 είκοσι οκτώ (eíkosi októ) - sounds like ay-EE-koh-see oh-k-TOH
29 είκοσι εννέα (eíkosi ennéa) - sounds like ay-EE-koh-see eh-NEE-y-ah


(from: wikipedia - center for the greek language)

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

Italian: ventuno, ventidue, ventitré, ventiquattro, venticinque, ventisei, ventisette, ventotto, ventinove

German: einundzwanzig, zweiundzwanzig, dreiundzwanzig, vierundzwanzig, fünfundzwanzig, sechsundzwanzig, siebenundzwanzig, achtundzwanzig, neunundzwanzig

Spanish: veintiún, veintidós, veintitrés, veinticuatro, veinticinco, veintiséis, veintisiete, veintiocho, veintinueve

French: vingt et un, vingt-deux, vingt-trois, vingt-quatre, vingt-cinc, vingt-six, vingt-sept, vingt-huit, vingt-neuf

Star Tracker

We just learned about the Accelerometer.

Another guidance system that rockets can use is the Star Tracker.

When a rocket is way up in the sky, it might not be able to talk to any of the computers on the ground to find out where it is, especially if there are a lot of clouds or bad weather.

But if the rocket is up above the clouds and it is dark, the rocket can use cameras to look up into space and see the stars.
These stars can be compared to a star chart that says where each star is, and it can use this chart to keep itself on course, whether it's going to the moon, outer space, or even another planet!


(from: wikipedia - star tracker)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Numerical Control - CNC

Flapjack Octopus

We just learned about the Armhook Squid.

Another cephalopod is the Flapjack Octopus, also known as the opisthoteuthis californiana.

These octopuses are able to flatten themselves out very thin, almost like a pancake or flapjack, so that's where they get the nickname.

Just like the Dumbo Octopus, their arms are all webbed together like a skirt, and they also use the fins on their head or mantle to help them swim.
They very deep in the ocean, and like the Vampire Squid just eat whatever garbage is floating around in the water.

The little octopus named Pearl in the movie Finding Nemo was a Flapjack Octopus.
Unlike the movie though, the flapjack octopus does not have an ink sac, so they can not squirt out ink like Pearl does in the movie!


(from: wikipedia - opisthoteuthis californiana)


Flapjack Octopus - GirlScientist

Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Common Reed Frog

Wisdom Tooth

We just learned about the Maxillary Second Molar.

The next tooth back in the mouth is the Wisdom Toothor Third Molar.

This tooth is a molar just like the first and second molars.
Many times there is not enough room in a person's mouth for these teeth, so a dentist or orthodontist will pull the teeth out.

If these teeth stay in the mouth, they can push up against the other teeth and hurt them.
Sometimes the gums in the mouth can get swollen or bruised by these teeth.




(from: wikipedia - wisdom tooth)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Lunula

Blarney Castle

We just learned about Bran Castle.

Another famous castle is Blarney Castle in Blarney Ireland, built in 1210 AD, and then rebuilt in 1446 by the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty after it had been destroyed.

This castle is probably most famous for being the home of the "Blarney Stone", which is a rock made out of limestone built into the castle by a machicolation

A machicolation is a hole in the floor by the top of the castle where people could drop things like big rocks down on people trying to invade the castle.

The Blarney stone is at one of these machicolations, so there is a gap between where the top walkway of the castle is, and where the Blarney Stone is.

There are many legends about where the Blarney Stone came from, with some saying it was a gift from an old goddess, and some saying it was a part of a very important stone used in ceremonies to crown the king of Sctoland.

Nobody really knows for sure where it came from, but there is a legend that if you kiss the Blarney Stone you will get the gift of speaking Blarney, which means to be funny and smart and get people to believe whatever you say.

To kiss the Blarney Stone, you have to have someone hold on to you, and you lay on your back leaning way out over the hole and then kiss the stone!
It used to be very dangerous to try this, but now they have some safety rails up to help people not fall.
Kissing the Blarney Stone is so famous that Sherlock Holmes wrote a mystery story about a man who fell off the castle while trying to kiss it!




(from: wikipedia - blarney castle)


Kid Facts - Blast from the past: New Brunswick