Social Science Questions & Answers

If you have heard of Dick Whittington at all, then you’ll probably know him as being a pantomime character, with his cat, and the Bow Bells saying those famous words: “Turn again, Whittington, thrice Lord Mayor of London!” Just a story? Well, not quite. Dick, or give him his full name, Sir Richard Whittington, really did exist, although you can …

A hundred years ago, Germany was divided into many small states, or countries. In one of these states, Prussia, the chancellor, or chief minister to the king, was Otto von Bismarck. A strong and ruthless man, Bismarck made Prussia the strongest of all German states and its army feared throughout Europe. When the states were gathered into one empire in …

Amit Jethwa (1975 – 20 July 2010) was an Indian environmentalist and social worker, active in the Gir Forest area near Junagadh, Gujarat. He had filed several court cases against illegal mining in the protected area, naming Bharatiya Janata Party member of parliament, Dinu Solanki as one of the respondents. On 20 July 2010 he was shot dead by two …

You may have heard people saying that somebody has an ‘Achilles heel’, which means that they have a weak spot somewhere, either in their personality or their body. Where does that expression come from, and who was Achilles? Achilles was the won of a woman called Thetis, who was told by the Fates, ancient Greek goddesses who controlled people’s destiny, …

When the Moon blocks the Sun from view, it is called in eclipse of the Sun (a total eclipse is, in fact, a rare event). In ancient times, when Sun and Moon were worshiped as gods, an eclipse was terrifying. One ancient Chinese explanation was that a dragon had swallowed the Sun.

Antarctica has no official government; it is considered politically neutral and is owned by no nation. The Antarctic Treaty of 1959 sets aside the continent as a scientific preserve, established freedom of scientific investigation, environmental protection, and banned military activity on that continent. An Act called The Madrid Protocol bans all mining activities in Antarctica, designating the continent as a …

The origin of ice cream can be traced to at least the 4th century BC. Early references include Roman emperor Nero (AD 37-68) who ordered ice to be brought from the mountains and combined with fruit toppings, and King Tang (AD 618-97) of Shang, China, who had a method of creating ice and milk concoctions. Ice cream was brought from …

The youngest individual Olympic gold medallist is Marjorie Gestring of the US. She was 13 years and 268 days old when she won the gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, in the 3-metre springboard diving event. Her victory was watched by Adolf Hitler. As the 1940 and 1944 games were not held due to WWII, she didn�t get a chance …

Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk of Bhutan is, at 28, the world’s youngest king. This Oxford-educated monarch took over from his father Jigme Singye Wangchuk on November 6. His coronation took place at the Golden Throne Room at Tashichhodzong, a fortress and the power centre of Bhutan.

Shailaputri literally means the daughter (putri) of the mountains (shaila). Variously known as Sati Bhavani, Parvati or Hemavati, the daughter of Hemavana – the king of the Himalayas, she is the first among Navadurgas. Her worship takes place on the first day of Navaratri – the nine divine nights. The embodiment of the power of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, she …