A Brief Summary of Russias History Essay Example for Free

A Brief Summary of Russias History Essay Russian history is filled with an immense amount of events. Many great and horrible rulers have also ruled over this piece of land. For example, Ivan the Terrible/Great was one of the first well-known and beloved tsars of Russia because he was the first to conquer the Mongolians in 1500. This feat earned him the rule and name as the great ruler of Russia. Over time, another great ruler such as Peter the Great would come. However in 1917, Lenin rose in the Russian revolution and ended the tsar’s rule. In 1922, the fall of the tsars led to the rise of a new government, the U.  S. S. R. Although it was meant to improve the economy, it did not do much and eventually felled in 1991. After many years of difficulty, they are currently on their way back to modernization with the election of President Vladimir Putin. Russia’s history consists of four parts and the longest and most eventful is its history of expansion. This time period lasted from the medieval ages all the way to 1917. However, Russians did not always have a rule on their land. Before the 1500s, the Mongols ruled a small piece of land that was known as Russia. The Mongolian soldiers were known quite fiercely for the battle skills and kept a tight hold on this land that they kept for manservants. This went on until the 1500s when the Grand Prince Ivan of Moscow (later known as Ivan the Terrible/Great) defeated and conquered the Mongols. Under his rule, Russia expanded immensely and even continued through his successors. Peter the Great also made a big impact despite his well-known and influential ancestor. Many things happened under his rule including expansion. Not only did he create a Navy (which did not exist in Russia at the time), he also moved the capital from Moscow all the way to St. Petersburg. He was also greatly known for his three goals that are to expand, Europeanize Russia, and for the czars to have absolute power. Throughout his lifetime, Peter the Great will make tremendous additions to Russia. After his death, there comes great czars and empresses who will expand even further like Empress Catherine the Great and Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. However, Nicholas the Second was the last tsar due to the rise of Lenin and the Russian Revolution.

The Debate Over Birds and Feathered Dinosaurs Essay -- Anthropology Es

The Debate Over Birds and Feathered Dinosaurs Because dinosaurs are animals that lived millions of years ago, we are entirely dependent on the fossils that they have left behind for any understanding that we hope to gain. As any paleontologist will tell you, fossil hunting is difficult. There are no certainties, no guarantees. A certain amount of luck is as valuable as any scientific knowledge. Every so often a discovery is made that attempts to shake up pre-conceived notions of how the dinosaurs actually lived or how they came to be. On June 22, 2000, in Oregon, scientists announced the discovery of the oldest known animal to have feathers. Though no records indicate how the age of the animal was determined, the fossil was dated at 220 million years old. It lived at the time of the very earliest dinosaurs, and about 75 million years before the first known bird.1[1] The scientists assert that Longisquama insignis is not a dinosaur, and may be one of the earliest bird ancestors. The animal was a small lizard-sized glider, with four legs and feathers on its body. It is believed that the feathers were used for gliding, as the ancient creature lacks the necessary structures for flying.1 Before the announcement of Longisquama, the earliest known animal with feathers was Archaeopteryx, a bird capable of flight that lived roughly 145 million years ago.1 It has been proposed that Archaeopteryx is the intermediary between birds and predatory theropods, such as Deinonychus.2 The discovery that Longisquama had feathers strongly questions the evolutionary origins of Archaeopteryx, and additionally may discredit the belief that it is the link between birds and dinosaurs. However, th... ...cgi-taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v408/n6811/full/408428a0_fs.html 5 The Field Museum. (2002). New Species Clarifies Bird-Dinosaur Link. Science Daily [online], 14 Feb 2002. Available at http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/02/020214080242.htm 6 Monastersky, R. (1998). Feathered Dinosaurs Found in China. Science News Online [online], 27 June 1998. Available at http://www.sciencenews.org/pages/sn_arc98/6_27_98/fob1.htm 7 H, J R. (1995). Are Birds Really Dinosaurs? [online] Available at http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/avians.html 8 Rusatte, B. (1997). Controversial Fossil Claimed to Sink Dinosaur-Bird Link. [online] Available at http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Galaxy/8152/longisquama.html 9 Brett-Surman, M K, et al. Top 10 Misconceptions about Dinosaurs. [online] Available at http://www.nmnh.si.edu/paleo/faq.html

Baba and Mr. Big

Summary Chapter 1 Jim Anderson and his parents Harold and Mrs. Anderson recently moved to Kendal from Savanna La Mar where his father worked as a mechanic. It was during the Christmas vacation that he met three boys in this new Village: Mule, Mongoose and Milo who were spinning tops for fun. The boys laughed at Jim’s feet because unlike them, Jim wore shoes. While Jim was telling the boys of his hobbies like helping the mechanics (such as his father), going swimming and helping the fishermen row in their canoes, the boy who appeared to be the leader, Milo, was getting jealous. A while after Jim had introduced himself to the boys he asked to join their secret club and was tricked into giving them all 15 of his marbles without being allowed to join the club. The boys who though that it was impossible, gave Jim a test to catch a hawk alive in order to join the club. Summary Chapter 2 On his way home, Jim thought of his task of catching the hawk. While walking, he stumbled upon Baba, an old man who spoke with much colloquial language, liked smoking tobacco and lived in a very small, sparsely furnished house. He explained his task of catching the hawk to Baba and Baba later told him of a plan to catch the hawk whom he called Mr. Big. According to Baba’s plan, Jim found a calabash gourd with soft, tender flesh. He found some feathers around the yard and stuck them in the gourd which he shaped to look like a chicken. When the hawk swooped down to pick it up he would get stuck and the hawk would be caught. Later that night Jim had a dream that he was flying behind the hawk towards the mountains but the bird flew through a hole and Jim was shut out. Did this mean that the bird would escape his trap? Summary Chapter 3 On the fifth day after setting the trap Jim went to town and was jeered by the boys that he wouldn’t catch the bird. On the sixth day the hawk came and was caught in Jim’s trap. Jim was afraid to get the hawk from the gourd now and take him back to his cage. In a small space of time, some of the villagers who wanted the hawk dead came marching up and asked Baba if they had seen the hawk but they replied no. When Jim and Baba began examining the bird they realized that it had broken one of its legs; so they nursed the ird and made a bamboo cage for him and Jim decided to keep the hawk for himself until he got better. Summary Chapter 9 Christmas vacation came to an end so Jim had to return to school. As a result, Baba had to take care of Mr. Big while Jim was in school. Baba took Mr. Big to â€Å"the bush† where Mr. Big responded happily to his environment. Although his leg was not fully healed, M r. Big moved from branch to branch and eventually was flying on the chord. Baba realized Mr. Big trusted him and that they now had a friendship. This made Baba content.

Alchemy in the Middle Ages

Alchemy in the Middle Ages was a mixture of science, philosophy, and mysticism. Far from operating within the modern definition of a scientific discipline, medieval alchemists approached their craft with a holistic attitude; they believed that purity of mind, body, and spirit was necessary to pursue the alchemical quest successfully. At the heart of medieval alchemy was the idea that all matter was composed of four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. With the right combination of elements, it was theorized, any substance on earth might be formed. This included precious metals as well as elixirs to cure disease and prolong life. Alchemists believed that the transmutation of one substance into another was possible; thus we have the clichà © of medieval alchemists seeking to turn lead into gold. Medieval alchemy was just as much art as science, and practitioners preserved their secrets with an obfuscating system of symbols and mysterious names for the materials they studied. Origins and History of Alchemy Alchemy originated in ancient times, evolving independently in China, India, and Greece. In all these areas the practice ultimately degenerated into superstition, but it migrated to Egypt and survived as a scholarly discipline. In medieval Europe, it was revived when 12th-century scholars translated Arabic works into Latin. The rediscovered writings of Aristotle also played a role. By the end of the 13th century, it was discussed seriously by leading philosophers, scientists, and theologians. The Goals of Medieval Alchemists To discover the relationship of man to the cosmos and take advantage of that relationship to the betterment of mankind.To find the philosophers stone, an elusive substance that was believed to make possible the creation of an elixir of immortality and the transmutation of common substances into gold.In the later Middle Ages, to use alchemy as a tool in the advancement of medicine (as Paracelsus did). Achievements  of Alchemists in the Middle Ages Medieval alchemists produced hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, potash, and sodium carbonate.They were able to identify the elements arsenic, antimony, and bismuth.Through their experiments, medieval alchemists invented and developed laboratory devices and procedures that are, in modified form, still used today.The practice of alchemy laid the foundation for the development of chemistry as a scientific discipline. Disreputable Associations of Alchemy Due to its pre-Christian origins and the secrecy in which its practitioners carried out their studies, alchemy was viewed by the Catholic Church with suspicion and ultimately condemned.Alchemy was never taught in Universities but was instead transmitted from teacher to apprentice or student clandestinely.Alchemy attracted followers of the occult, with which it is still associated today.There was no shortage of charlatans who used the trappings of alchemy to defraud. Notable Medieval Alchemists Thomas Aquinas was an eminent theologian who was permitted to study alchemy before it was condemned by the Church.Roger Bacon was the first European to describe the process for making gunpowder.Paracelsus used his understanding of chemical processes to advance the science of medicine. Sources and Suggested Reading Alchemy: Science of the Cosmos, Science of the Soul  by Titus Burckhardt; translated by William StoddartAlchemy: The Secret Art  by Stanislas Klossowski De RolaAlchemy: the medieval alchemists and their royal art  by Johannes FabriciusThe Philosophers Stone: A Quest for the Secrets of Alchemy  by Peter Marshall