Showing results by author "iMinds" in All Categories

A Chinese book from 850 C.E., called Classified Essentials of the Mysterious Tao of the True Origin of Things, warns the reader that if sulphur, realgar and saltpetre are heated with honey, they produce smoke and flames. Thus begins the history of artificially made fire and, eventually, fireworks.

Learn about the Rise of the Berlin Wall with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. The Berlin Wall served as a monumental physical reminder of the differences in government between East and West Germany. After World War Two, there was a division of Germany between the Western Allied forces of the US, Britain and France and the Soviet Union in the East. Each assumed responsibility for a portion of Germany to help it back on its feet after the war.

Learn about the story behind the tradition of Thanksgiving with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. Thanksgiving is a North American festival. It commemorates the good fortune its founders encountered when they arrived in the New World. In Canada, Thanksgiving is held on the second Monday of October. In the United States of America, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.

Hone your knowledge with iMinds Specialist Series. Have a particular interest? Recognize gaps in your knowledge? iMinds Specialist works across each of our 12 categories bringing you targeted information to broaden your mind. Ideas & Concepts, Volume 1 looks at the psychology behind the Stockholm Syndrome, the theory of the Tragedy of the Commons, the philosophy of the Eternal Truths, understandings of déjà vu, the story behind Murphy's Law, and that frustrating feeling of l'Esprit de l'Escalier.

Learn the history of the Davis Cup with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. The Davis Cup weighs more than 100 kilograms, is over one metre tall, and is the world's oldest sports trophy. It has been filled with champagne in Paris nightclubs, stolen in Peru, and locked in bank vaults during world wars. These days, it is sought after by more than 100 countries every year and known to many as the "holy grail" of men's tennis.

Learn about the mysterious Hope Diamond with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series.

The 45.52-carat Hope Diamond is the largest deep-blue diamond in the world. In its body of less than one cubic inch, it holds a history dripping with mystery, conspiracy, and celebrity. It is now housed behind three inches of bulletproof glass in the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and looks out at a world fixated with its beauty and history.

Learn about landing a man on the Moon with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. When the Cold War was at its height in the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. and Russia were fierce rivals. So, with burgeoning technology making flying safer and easier, these two world powers embarked on a "space race" to see who could be the first to launch a man into space - and eventually to put a man on the Moon.

A compilation of diverse topics across our 12 categories. You will learn about the Seven Wonders of the World, the invention of the Internet, the history of the Boston Tea Party, the story of the Hollywood blacklist, the cultural phenomenon that is culture jamming, the exciting sport of Parkour, the natural beauty of the aurora borealis, the theory of behavioural economics, the history of the seven archangels, the story behind the Loch Ness monster, and more.

It was another cold night in Boston on the 16th of December 1773. But this was no ordinary night. This night would ignite the flames of injustice within many an American colonist. And it would eventually lead to the American Revolution. That night, three British ships - the Dartmouth, the Eleanor, and the Beaver - were moored in the Boston harbor....

Learn about the science of Forensics with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. Forensics is the use of science to solve crimes. The word "forensics" comes from the Latin term "for ensis", which is closely related to the modern English word "forum". This close connection highlights the strong linkage between forensic evidence and courts - or forums - of law.

The story of the Internet begins in the early 1960s, when Russia launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial earth satellite. Afraid of the technological potential of the Russians, the United States Department of Defense formed the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), in order to develop US science and technology, and in particular its application in the military.

Creationism is the name given to the belief that God created the universe and everything in it, including life. In the West, the word is usually associated with the account of creation given in the book of Genesis in the Christian and Jewish bibles, but it can apply equally to the foundation stories of other religions, such as Islam and Hinduism.

We can all be smarter - target your learning with iMinds Specialist Series. Have a particular interest? Recognize gaps in your knowledge? iMinds Specialist works across each of our 12 categories, bringing you targeted information to broaden your mind. Science & Nature, Volume 1 looks at meteorites, the beautiful aurora borealis, the theory of evolution, putting a man on the Moon, the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, and the science of wind power.

There's nothing like a good comeback. It's witty, snappy and completely devastating to your verbal sparring partner. But how many times have you gone completely blank when arguing with someone, only to think of the perfect comeback an hour later? More than anything, you wish you could wind back time and deliver your riposte at the perfect moment. That's l'esprit de l'escalier.

A meteorite is a mass of stone or metal which has reached the earth's surface from outer space. There are various names for a meteorite depending on where it is situated. While it is traveling in space, it is referred to as a "meteoroid". When it passes through the earth's atmosphere and produces a fiery streak in the sky, known as a "shooting star", it is called a "meteor".

Hone your knowledge with iMinds Specialist Series. Have a particular interest? Recognize gaps in your knowledge? iMinds' Specialist series works across each of our 12 categories, bringing you targeted information to broaden your mind. The Arts, Volume 1 looks at the life of Andy Warhol, the story of Robin Hood, a history of blues music, the film genres film noir and anime, and the history of the Hollywood blacklist.

Learn about the Fall of the Berlin Wall with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. The Berlin Wall stood as a boundary in the German capital for 28 years, 2 months and 26 days. It symbolised the split between not only West and East Berlin, but western and eastern Europe as a whole. It was an international symbol of the Cold War and represented an ideological divide between capitalism in the west and communism in the east.

Learn about your world with iMinds Specialist Series. Have a particular interest? Recognize gaps in your knowledge? iMinds Specialist works across each of our 12 categories bringing you targeted information to broaden your mind. History Volume 1 looks at the history of the whaling industry; the context of the Boston Tea Party; the role of the Rosetta Stone in understanding language; the terror of the Barbary Pirates; the importance of the signing of the Magna Carta and more.

Learn about the US Triple Crown of Racing with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. The Triple Crown is the most esteemed horse racing trophy in North America. The Triple Crown trophy was introduced in 1930 after a journalist suggested that Gallant Fox's triumph in America's three biggest horse races, the Preakness Stakes, the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes, deserved a trophy of its own. He suggested the name, the Triple Crown, after the British Triple Crown trophy.

We can all be smarter - keep learning every day with iMinds' Generalist ,Volume 6. A compilation of diverse topics across our 12 categories, in this volume you will learn about the history of the blues, the truth of the Spanish Inquisition, the phenomenon that is the Nazca Lines, the history of the Barbary Pirates, the story behind the concept of Murphy's Law, the science of REM Sleep, the mystery of the Dropa Stones, the amazing history of Route 66, the ins and outs of political lobbying, and more.