For most of modern history, Europe has assumed the dread venereal disease originated in America. The European epidemic is said to have begun in 1493 at a Barcelona party honoring explorer Christopher Columbus, who had recently returned from the "New World." Scholars today, however, have their doubts. A recent discovery in England of three skulls with lesions suggestive of late-stage syphilis supports the view that the disease existed in Europe before Columbus.

The potato chip, or Saratoga Chip as it was first called, was invented in 1853 by Chef George Crum at Moon Lake House, Saratoga Springs, New York. Chef Crum was trying to please a demanding guest who was badgering him that his home fried potatoes were not sliced thin enough. Crum decided to show him and the other guests. So he sliced the next batch with a razor -- and thus the potato chip was born. See similar questions...

The genus Hemerocallis is native to the countries in the temperate parts of AsiaJapan, Siberia, Korea, China, and Eurasia. Since the early 1930s, hybridizers in the United States and England have made great improvements in daylilies. Originally, the only colors were yellow, orange, and fulvous red. Today, we have colors ranging from near-whites, pastels, yellows, oranges, pinks, vivid reds, crimson, purple, nearly true-blue, and fabulous blends. See similar questions...

Sword fighting as sport has existed since ancient Egypt, and has been practiced in many forms in various cultures since then. Although jousting and tournament combat was a popular sport in the European middle ages, modern FIE fencing owes more to unarmoured dueling forms that evolved from 16th century rapier combat. Although rapier combat had a nominal military role (for thrusting into the chinks of heavy armour), it was most popular amongst civilians who used it for self-defense and dueling. See similar questions...

This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) is based, in part, on the personal experiences of the members of the Kombucha mailing list. It should not be regarded as a complete or definitive manual on Kombucha but rather as a collection of practical everyday answers to questions that come up when starting to make Kombucha Tea. This article is provided as is without any express or implied warranty. See similar questions...

The physical basis of MR Imaging is the spin of the hydrogen nucleus, or proton. Without this spin, there would be no MRI. Dr. Herbst has a Ph.D. in physical chemistry where he studied the physics of nuclear magnetic resonance (which is the basis for MRI) and used it to measure water transport across red blood cell membranes. Dr. Herbst later studied MRI with with Bill Bradley, Jr., M.D., Ph.D. who is one of the worlds biggest MRI gurus. See similar questions...

No, she died of extreme old age at 90. There is no possibility at all that she had syphilis. Her life is extremely well-documented and the symptoms of syphilis are not compatible with what we know about her. But this rumour about syphilis is quite common. I have been told that it was publicised by a priest who was opposing a church proposal to commemmorate her. He said she was an atheist who died of syphilis, and this was widely published in the press and resulted in the proposal being dropped. See similar questions...

Some scholars have traced it back as far as 10,000 years. This oral tradition has been thought to be intricately woven into the Kabbalah, and most recently believed used by Sufi mystics.. This sacred information was given to the West only recently and refined by psychologists (1960's and 70's), who synthesized it into its present form. Although many books have been written about the Enneagram, most teachers believe it can still only be learned through the oral tradition. See similar questions...

The exact beginnings of ASL are not clear. Many people believe that ASL came mostly from French Sign Language (FSL). Others claim that the foundation for ASL existed before FSL was introduced in America in 1817. It was in that year that a French teacher named Laurent Clerc, brought to the United States by Thomas Gallaudet, founded the first school for the deaf in Hartford, Connecticut. See similar questions...

The truth is no one knows for sure. It's "invention" was not dissimilar to the invention of calculus, where it was rumored that Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and Sir Isaac Newton developed the notion independent of each other in the late 17th century. Like calculus, the concept was not necessarily an invention, but more of a discovery. See similar questions...

From a knock-about game played by school-boys at Eton College. The original court is the area between two buttresses of the Eton College Chapel. See similar questions...

The term horsepower came from Scottish inventor James Watt. The value for a unit of horsepower was determined after Watt performed several experiments on horses pulling coal. He originally determined that the average horse was able to pull 22,000 foot-pounds every one minute. In other words, a horsepower was defined as the amount of power exerted to move 22,000 pounds of coal by one foot in one minute. See similar questions...

The Skinhead movement began in England in the late '60s. It had become a fashion there among some groups of young factory workers to shave their heads, because they had to keep their hair cut short anyway in order to avoid getting it caught in the machinery. As Racial, Social, and economic conditions in Britain deteriorated, these young, White Factory workers were among the hardest hit. See similar questions...

Transmission of the bacteria usually occurs during vaginal, anal, or oral sex. The syphilis bacteria are passed from person to person through direct contact with: Sores mainly occur on the external genitals, vagina, anus, or rectum. Sores can also occur on the lips and in or around the mouth. The bacteria most commonly enter the body through mucous membranes, usually in the area around the genitals and urinary system. See similar questions...

Jim and Peter Strauss, both Master Herbalists developed the heart drops. Jim learned about herbs from his family as a young child in Austria. He is the 7th generation of a long line of medicine men. Living now in B.C. , he, along with his family continue to produce a fine selection of herbal formulas which are benefiting people all over Canada. His formulas are unique-not duplicated in any form in any store or company. In 1980 Jim suffered his one and only heart attack. See similar questions...

The Red Earth Herbal Drops originated from a variety of sources and herbal traditions. The early formulas were principally based on North American Native healer's herbal lore. Over the years these formulas have developed into their current forms based on many other aboriginal and ancient herbal traditions from around the world (Chinese, Ayurvedic, Armenian, European, etc.). Our co-founder, Donald Hall, who learnt his art from these many sources, formulated all the herbal products personally. See similar questions...

It did! Very astute. Back in the day, Alias PowerAnimator had two default rendering options: "ray tracer" and "ray caster." One night after I had been working too long I thought that "Ray Caster" sounded like a guy's name. And the rest is history. See similar questions...