Monthly Archives: September 2013

The evolution of walking (bipedalism)

September 24, 2013 · by · in Uncategorized · 2 Comments

Introduction We are seen as the only great ape to have stood upright and taken strides forward. Why this event took place is surrounded by a lot of hypotheses.  These include 1. savannah theory: leaving the trees to live on the ground (Dart, 1953) 2. brachiation hypothesis: it evolved from walking in trees from branch […]

Harald Bluetooth: The Symbol of Communication

September 23, 2013 · by · in Obscure History · 4 Comments

Today all of our phones and computers carry the initials of a 10th century Danish King, Harald “Bluetooth” Gormsson (so-called for his love of blueberries). The companies behind the design of the Bluetooth wireless communication device (Ericsson, Nokia, Intel, Toshiba, and IBM) decided to take the name of this ancient Danish King because of his […]

The Pigna and the Apollo Belvedere: Two Treasures of the Vatican

September 8, 2013 · by · in Cultural Issues, Obscure History · 3 Comments

Publius Cincius Slavius, whose name appears on the base of the sculpture, built the Pine Cone statue that now resides in the Court of the Pine Cone (Cortile della Pigna) in the Vatican, in the 1st century AD. The piece was originally a fountain that resided in the Temple of Isis in Campo Martius next […]

The Reverse Marco Polo

September 7, 2013 · by · in Obscure History · Leave a comment

In the West everyone knows the story of the Croat, Marco Polo, who traveled from Italy to the court of Kublai Khan in China in the 13th century. Whilst it has become a fairly common belief that Marco Polo, in fact, didn’t go to China, but instead took his stories of China from merchant sailors, […]