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Why was the ‘penny-farthing’ so called?

Bicycles of many shapes and sizes have led up to the bicycle was know today. The ‘penny-farthing’ bicycle was first seen on the roads of England in 1871. it was invented by James Starley, who later became known as the ‘father of the cycle industry’. It had a large front wheel which varied between 100-150 cm in diameter, and a …

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Why was Africa the center of the slave trade?

Trade in human slaves began in the earliest times and went on until the nineteenth century. But it was in the sixteenth century, after the discovery of America when the need grew for labour on the new plantations, that the slave trade began to increase. Its center was Africa. Millions of slaves were transported from that continent. The British, French, …

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Why some creepy crawlies give you the creeps

A large number of people count snakes and spiders among their fears. Now, a new study claims to have unlocked the psychology of the common phobias. Researchers have found that contrary to assumptions that humans possess an evolutionary predisposition to fear the creepy creatures, it is the exposure to negative information about snakes and spiders, which causes phobias. “Previous research …

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Teesta Setalvad

Teesta Setalvad — Journalist-activist Teesta Setalvad won the Nuremberg International Human Rights Award 2003, and a thumping victory over hostile witness Zahira Sheikh in the Best Bakery case. She’s yet another example of those who’ll stick out their neck and challenge the system, making her an icon for the youth. We have a glorious past. Preserve it. We have grown …

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Why should we wash our hands before meals?

We should wash our hands before meals as a protection against infections. We live in a world full of germs (micro-organisms or microbes) and those, which are dangerous to us, prefer to live and multiply in organic material. So it is wise to remove as many as possible before coming into contact with food, which provides an ideal breeding ground. …

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Why men are better navigators, and women have better memory

Scientists may have an explanation for why men may be better drivers than women, and why women have better attention span and memory. A new brain connectivity study from the US published on Tuesday in the peer-reviewed Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences journal found remarkable differences in the neural wiring of men and women that could give evidence for …

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