Who made the first inoculation against the dreaded small pox disease?

Who made the first inoculation against the dreaded small pox disease?

Smallpox was an extremely common disease until the eighteenth century. But it was often a fatal disease, death being sure in most cases. Small pox starts as a rash which develops into blisters. Within a few days, the blisters fester and then start to dry and crack up.


The death rate for this disease was high until a breakthrough was achieved by Lady Mary Wortley in 1717. She noticed that in Turkey, where her husband was the ambassador, they used fluid from the smallpox blisters to protect those who were uninfected. She introduced the practice-variolation (small pox was also known as variola) – to Britain, where it was quickly accepted. Some people did die during the process, but overall the death rate was vastly reduced

Why is Fahrenheit’s thermometer important?

Why is Fahrenheit’s thermometer important?

The mercury thermometer was invented in 1714 by Gabrield Daniel Fahrenheit, a German instrument maker. He also introduced the new temperature scale, known as the Fahrenheit scale after him. The zero on this scale was thirty two degrees below the freezing point of water on the Celsius scale i.e. zero degrees Celsius, and the boiling point of water i.e. hundred degrees Celsius was equal to 212 degrees Fahrenheit.


Mercury was more responsive to temperature changes, did not evaporate, and was therefore, preferable to any other liquid. Calibrated marks on the tube allow the temperature to be read by the length of the mercury within the tube. The end of the thermometer is usually shaped like a bulb. The expansion and contraction of the mercury can be noted by observing the bore of the tube. The space above the mercury was often filled with nitrogen or is a vacuum.


No Mercury


Today, the use of mercury thermometers for medical purposes is often not allowed. However, they are still widely used for meteorological purposes. Some reputed organizations in the world recommend that mercury thermometers not be sued as they are harmful both to the body and to the environment.

When did Scotland become part of Great Britain?

When did Scotland become part of Great Britain?

At the end of the seventeenth century, there was growing dissension in England and Scotland, regarding the relationship between these two countries. William III was more interested in England because of its value to him in his European affairs.


Many people advocated that the two kingdoms should become separate states. William and his advisors were more in favour of an incorporated union, although Scottish feeling was of the opinion that such a union would stifle Scotland even further.


In 1706, Queen Anne set up a commission to draw up a treaty for union. The resultant Act decreed that two countries be united as Great Britain under one parliament and one flag. The trade, religious practices, and law making for Scotland. It became law in May 1707.

When was Newton’s Principia published and what does it contain?

When was Newton’s Principia published and what does it contain?

The Black Death in London resulted in the shutting down of Cambridge University in year. Isaac Newton, a young mathematician working as a fellow in Trinity College there retired to Lincolnshire where he could work at leisure.


Newton worked on optics, demonstrating that white light was made up of many colours. However, he is most famous for his work on gravitation. He believed that the laws of gravity could be extended even to celestial objects. The story of the apple falling is well known, but it is probably only a legend. Using the calculus, one of his inventions, he showed mathematically that the moon was held in its orbit by gravity, otherwise it could move in a straight line, at a tangent to its orbit.


Newton’s theory of universal gravitation said that every body attracts another which a force which depends on their masses and decreases with the square of their distances from each other. He used this theory to explain the shape of the earth, tides and even the shape of the universe. He put these ideas down in the Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, universally known as Principia which is perhaps one of the most influential scientific books ever written.

How did the great fire of London start?

How did the great fire of London start?

On September 2, 1666, a fire was discovered in the house of John Farynor, the king’s baker in Pudding Lane, a narrow street East of the London Bridge. Unfortunately for the residents of London, there was a strong wind, which blew the flames towards the city.


The fire spread rapidly and burnt for four days. It spread from London Bridge to Lombard Street and to Cornhill, from Cheapside to Fleet Street and then to the Inner Temple and New gate. Over 121 hectares of land were completely destroyed.

When was the English East India Company founded?

When was the English East India Company founded?

The Dutch had, at one point of time, controlled most of the spice trade with Indonesia and Moluccas. London, as the other great city of traders was very concerned about this. As the sixteenth century drew to a close, on its very last day, Queen Elizabeth granted permission to a newly formed company to carry on trade in Asia, Africa and America between Cape Cod and the Strait of Magellan. The ships of the East India Company, as it was called, followed the route to the East via Cape of Good Hope. Soon it was as large as the Royal Navy in terms ships and men. The supremacy of the East India Company over India is well known. This continued until 1874, when the Company handed over India to the Crown in Britain.

Why is Galileo Galilee so famous?

Why is Galileo Galilee so famous?

Galileo Galilee (1564 – 1642) was a celebrated Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher who is synonymous with the scientific revolution. Often referred to as the ‘father of the modern astronomy, Physics and science’, his achievements include the first systematic studies of uniformly accelerated motion, and improvements to the telescope. He made a variety of astronomical observations, and supported the theories of Copernicus.


Galileo’s experiment-based work represented a significant break from the abstract approach of Aristotle. Galileo studied the motion of uniformly accelerated objects, as subject of kinematics.


Galileo was born in Pisa in modern day Italy. In 1589, he was appointed to the chair of Mathematics in Pisa. From 1592 to 1610 he taught geometry, mechanics, and astronomy at the university of Padua. During this period, Galileo made significant discoveries in both pure science and applied science

What is the importance of Shakespeare in English literature?

What is the importance of Shakespeare in English literature?

William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon. In 1587, he went to London seeking a job. He discovered theatre there, and was much attracted to it. After being employed as an actor doing small roles, a writer and a patcher of old scripts, Shakespeare finally became the head playwright and the part-owner of the Globe Theatre in Southwark. In the 1590s, Shakespeare’s reputation grew steadily, and he wrote a number of plays and sonnets. He enjoyed royal patronage for many of his plays.


The total of 37 plays that Shakespeare wrote include comedies, tragedies, romances and histories. Shakespeare’s drama is accepted by people of all tastes. Some of his famous plays are “A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Macbeth, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Julius Caesar and As You Like It”. Many call his plays and their rich poetry unparalleled in history.

Who founded the Mughal dynasty in India?

Who founded the Mughal dynasty in India?

The founder of the Mughal dynasty was Babur, who ruled from 1483 to 1530. He was a direct descendant of Timur, and believed himself to be a descendant also of Genghis Khan through his mother.


Babur ruled over a small kingdom in Turkestan; he expanded his kingdom by attacking Afghanistan and capturing Kabul in 1504. From there, he crossed over the mountains into Hindustan and attacked Delhi Sultanate. With an Army of only twelve thousand men, he defeated the Sultan at Panipat, captured Agra and Delhi and established himself as Sultan. He then attacked a confederation of Rajput states. When he died in 1530, he had conquered an empire that extended from the Deccan to Turkestan.

Which was the first ship to sail around the world?

Which was the first ship to sail around the world?

Though Columbus had discovered the West Indies, however the search for a new trade route to the East continued. Magellan, a Portuguese sailor was in the service of the Spanish Government and he was one of the many engaged in this pursuit. In August 1519, he set out with five ships badly in need of repair, and a crew drawn from many countries. He overcame a mutiny abroad the ship. The men had tried to revolt when they heard that he was planning to look for a strait in the southernmost tip of South America. The strait, which allowed his to cross into the pacific is named after him. Magellan crossed the pacific with great difficulty, his supplies having run out by then. He finally reached the Philippines but was killed in a local war there.


The Vittoria, the only one of Magellan’s ships to remain, sailed back to Portugal in 1522. She became the first ship to sail around the world.

Why was Spain able to become a very powerful nation?

Why was Spain able to become a very powerful nation?

Following Columbus’s discoveries, Spain acted quickly to exploit the New World. In the course of their conquests in South America, the Spanish came into conflict with two of the most ancient civilizations –the Aztec Empire and eh Inca Empire. The Spanish had the advantage of firearms and soldiers on horses, while this type of warfare was unknown to the Native Americans. The Spanish won quite easily, and these two conquests were the first major conflicts between the Old World and the New World’s rich mineral resources at Spain’s disposal making Spain the most powerful nation in the world for the next 100 years. It also encouraged Spain to expand at the time had the largest empire in the western hemisphere.