This is the August 2023 edition of the fascinating facts Newsletter, which includes a broad range of interesting topics. This includes information about the world’s largest pyramid, the World’s tallest free-standing clock tower & Saint George.
Fascinating Facts August 2023 Contents
You can download the full newsletter to read HERE, however some snippets are listed below.
Cholula The world’s largest pyramid
Never heard of it! The great pyramid of Cholula is the largest pyramid, by volume, known to exist in the world today. The brick pyramid stands 25 metres (82 ft) above the surrounding plain, which is significantly shorter than the Great Pyramid of Giza’s height of 146.6 metres (481 ft), but It is much wider, measuring 300 by 315 metres (984 by 1,033 ft). Compared to the Great Pyramid’s base dimensions of 230.3 by 230.3 metres (756 by 756 ft). With a volume of 166 million cubic ft, it beats Egyptian’ Great Pyramid’s volume of 84 million cubic ft, by a significant margin.
While a pyramid is also a temple, it is traditionally dedicated to the god Quetzalcoatl. The architectural style of the building was linked closely to that of Teotihuacan in the Valley of Mexico, although influence from the Gulf Coast is evident. Read Full Article…
Do You Remember?
As the world moves forward and technology creates changes in the way one live their lives, one’s memories disappear further into the past. Trying to explain to the younger generation does not seem to impress them. Their misunderstanding created by the fact that they did not experience what then was common practice, but today seems unbelievable and to some extent totally unacceptable. So here are some things which might evoke some memories! Read Full Article…
St George The Patron Saint of England
St George is considered as a heroic knight slaying a ferocious, fire-breathing dragon. But like many early saints, the exact details of his life remain a mystery. So one has to delve deeply to try to separate fact from fiction and get closer to the truth behind the legend of St George and the Dragon. He is hailed as the patron Saint of England, a national hero and depicted, in popular culture, as a knight in shining armour. The truth is less fanciful as it is more likely that he was an officer in the Roman army and a member of the Praetorian Guard.
Interestingly, he actually has no physical connection with England as he was born; in the 3rd century AD; over 2,000 miles away in Cappadocia, now modern day Turkey. Read Full Article…
1820 COSTUMES OF LONDON’S ‘LOWER ORDER’
It seems we have come the full circle with deliveries. Also, jobs which no longer exist such as scissor sharpener, kettle mender, and water carrier all to our door! All with the most famous of all, Nell Gwynne, who sold oranges and finished up marrying a king. From a hand coloured engraved book published by Samuel Leigh.
Old Joe The World’s tallest Free-standing clock tower
The worlds tallest free-standing clock tower, the Joseph Chamberlain Memorial Clock Tower, often referred to as Old Joe, is a clock tower and campanile located in Chancellor’s court at the University of Birmingham. While there have been various claims about its height ranging from 328 ft to 361 ft, tall. Mr Burton, secretary of the university, stated that the tower stands 329 ft high. The dials measure 17 ft in diameter, the length of the clock hands are 10 and 6 ft. The bells weigh 20 tons and the biggest 5 ton. It was built to commemorate Joseph Chamberlain, the first Chancellor of the University. Although one of the original suggested names was the “Poynting Tower”, after one of the earliest university professors, John Henry Poynting.
A prominent landmark, the grade II* listed tower, can be seen for miles around the campus, and has become synonymous with the University. Read Full Article…
The Second World War Monuments Men
During the second world war, it was known that certain top ranking Nazis were raiding and stripping works of art from top museums and collections. So the question was asked, by a select group of men and women, whose main objective was to safeguard culturally significant works of art, how can they be traced and saved from destruction, for the world.
In June 1943, the American Commission for the Protection and Salvage of Artistic and Historic Monuments in War Areas, eventually known as “The Roberts Commission, was formed. The Monuments, Fine Arts, and Archives (MFAA) section, consisting of approximately 345 men and women representing 14 nations, was created as a result of this commission. Read Full Article…
THE DISCOVERY AND MEANING OF ZERO
Without zero, you would not be able to read this as a computer operates on a binary system; strings of zeros and ones. Therefore, without zero, modern electronics would not exist. Without zero, there would be no calculus, which means no modern engineering or automation. Without zero, much of our modern world literally falls apart. It’s like a numerical glue!
Discovery of zero was a total game changer; equivalent to learning a language. But for most of human history, no one understood the number zero. It had to be invented. Read Full Article…
