Category History

What is the history of World War II?

Worlds War II, also known as the Second World War, was fought I many countries between 1939 and 1945. The global war involved two opposing groups: the Allies and the Axis powers, France, Great Britain, the United States, the Soviet Union, and China constituted the Allies. The Allied powers were led by Winston Churchill (the U.K), Joseph Stalin (Soviet Union), Charles de Gaulle (France), and Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman (the U.S). The Axis powers were led by Adolf Hitler (Germany), Benito Mussolini (Italy), and Hideki Tojo (Japan).

What triggered the war?

The Second World War began in Europe on September 1, 1939, when German troops invaded Poland. Was it a continuation of the First World War? In a way, yes. The instability created in Europe and the economic depression worldwide as a result of WWI were major factors leading to WWI. Besides, Hitler had been waiting to regain territory lost after WWI, to unite all German- speaking people into one Teach in Europe. Hitler’s invasion of Poland forced Great Britain and France, which had promised support to Poland, to declare war on Germany.

Then Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941, but soon found itself crippled by the Russian Winter. The war in the Pacific broke out in December 1941, when Japan, annoyed by the U.S. trade bans, attacked Pearl harbor, the American naval base in Hawaii, and other Dutch and British military installations throughout Asia.

When the war ended…

The war came to a close on September 2, 1945, when Japan formally surrendered. With Hitler’s death in April, Germany signed an unconditional surrender document. Mussolini was captured and hanged by Italian partisans.

With millions of soldiers and civilians losing their lives on account of the war, it was considered the largest and bloodiest war in history. The war saw the use of blitzkrieg tactics (a method of offensive warfare blending land and air action to achieve quick victory over adversaries), initially by Germany and later by the Allies, and devastating weaponry such as U-boat subs and atom bombs as a result of technological advancements.

The Holocaust

The deadliest conflict witnessed the Holocaust, the killing of almost six million Jews by the Nazis, and the Allied atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The U.S, the Soviet Union, France and China emerged victors of the war, while Germany, Italy and Japan embraced defeat.

The war brought about a major shift of power in the world, with the United States and the Soviet Union emerging as superpowers. It also resulted in the end of colonialism in Asia and Africa. One of the significant developments in the port-war worlds was the formation of the United Nations to maintain international peace and security.

 

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What are the interesting facts about the World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India?

1. Pampakshetra of Kishkindha

Hampi was traditionally known as Pampakshetra of Kishkindha. It takes its name from the Tungabhadra river, which was historically called Pampa. As years passed, Pampa came to be known as Pampe, and Hampi is the anglicised version of this name. Another legend has it that Hampi was originally the monkey kingdom of Kishkindha, which finds mention in the Ramayana. This is the place where Rama is said to have met Hanuman.

2. Ruled by many

Hampi is popularly known as the capital of the Vijayanagara empire. But before the rise of this empire in the 14th century. Hampi is believed to have been in the hands of the chiefs of Kampili. As early as the third century. the region is said to have been a part of the Maurya empire. The city was at its peak during the Vijayanagara rule when most of the monuments came up. The Hampi we see today. however, is how the Deccan Sultanate had left it. The Sultanate besieged the city in 1565 and destroyed several of the monuments over a period of six months.

3. A city of monuments

Today. Hampi has over 1,600 surviving remains which include forts, royal and sacred complexes, temples, riverside features, mandapas, and memorial structures Most of the monuments were built in the Dravidian style, while some were in the Indo-Islamic style of architecture. Many of the temple complexes in the ruined city were once surrounded by tanks and bazaars.

4. The SAREGAMA pillars

The Vittala temple is one of the prominent monuments in Hampi. The temple is known for its magnificent architecture. This includes 56 melodic columns, also known as musical pillars. When these pillars are tapped gently, they create musical sounds. It is fascinating to many since the pillars are constructed out of stone. The musical pillars are also called the SAREGAMA pillars.

5. A temple with an inverted tower!

The Virupaksha temple in Hampi is one of the oldest surviving temples in the world, having been built in the 7th Century. The temple, dedicated to Shiva, has withstood the test of time. There is a dark chamber with a small opening in the temple complex which exhibits a pinhole camera effect during the day. When the sun’s rays pass through this tiny opening, and fall on the western wall of the complex an inverted shadow of the main temple tower can be seen.

 

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Why did Roman soldiers wear sandals?

In armies throughout the ages, the marching boot has been a prized possession. Weapons will only be needed in times of war, but the boot is needed every single day. Command sends the soldier into awful terrain on a regular basis, for long periods of time, often to cover very large distances.

And as has been stated in other answers, earlier legionaries wore the caligae, open sandal-like boots that had thick soles held together with hobnails. From the late 1st century onwards the army began to equip itself with calcei, an enclosed boot more often used by civilian workers. This transition may reflect the fact that more recruits were coming from the northern frontiers, where enclosed boots are of great benefit, or it might reflect changes in the supply system, with legions turning to civilian sources for their footwear. Whatever the reason, calcei were ubiquitous in the British provinces. At Vindolanda a Roman fort on Hadrian’s wall, the wet conditions have preserved many examples of Roman footwear, civilian and military, adult and child. A great proportion (of all types) have hobnails hammered into the soles, a technique which binds the thick soles strongly together, which reduces wear and tear, and which gives an excellent grip akin to wearing modern football boots!

These are a pair of reproductions worn by a reenactment legionnary, who had them for three years.

 

Credit : Quora

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What is the history of Rani-ki-Vav?

What is a stepwell?

As the name suggests, a stepwell is a pond or well with water that can be reached by descending a series of steps. It is mostly mutli-storeyed and can be found across western India.

Stepwells are prime examples of irrigation and storage tanks built to quench the thirst of the people during parched summers. They are mostly dug deep down to collect the seepage of an upstream lake or reservoir. This is why most stepwells are underground. The reason these are built with steps is to make it easier for people to access groundwater and to maintain and manage the well.

Most stepwells are intricately carved with several sculptures. Apart from serving as a well, they serve as a cool retreat during summers.

Rani-ki-Vav

Rani ki-Vav or the Queen’s Stepwell is located in the town of Patan in Gujarat India. Situated on the banks of the river Saraswati, this stepwell was built in the 11th century AD. During the rule of the Chalukya dynasty it was constructed in menton of King Bhimdev I by his widowed wife. Queen Udayamati Prabandha Chintamani, composed by the Jain monk Menunga Suri in 1304 AD makes a reference to the construction of this stepwell by Queen Udayamati.

Built near the Saraswati, this stepwell was once completely floosted by the river and silted over till the 1940s. This is when the site was rediscovered by people. In the 1980s, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) excavated the site and restored it from 1981 to 1987. An image of Queen Udayamati was also recovered during the excavation

Rani-ki-Vav was declared a Monument of National Importance and protected by the ASI. It was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2014,

Architecture

The stepwell is built in the Maru Gurjara architectural style in the form of an inverted temple with seven levels of stairs and over 500 main sculptures, It is approximately 64m long, 20m wide and 27m deep

Most of the sculptures found here are devoted to Lord Vishnu in his ten forms. There are also sculptures dedicated to the Buddha

As mentioned before this stepwell is designed like an inverted temple to highlight the sanctity of water. The steps begin at the ground level and you have to go down seven pillared pavilions to reach the well below. At water level there is a caning of Seshashayi Vishnu – the avatar where he rests on his thousand hooted serpent Sesha. The well is present in the western most part of the complex.

 

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Why does the iron pillar located in the Qutub complex in Delhi never rust?

 Dr. Balasubramaniam from Indian Institute of Technology did a material sciences analysis of the iron, and here’s what he found (in easy words):

If you melt pig iron and add phosphorous in it, it will start breaking up. The iron would never come together and make bond with each other. So, what the manufacturers do is that they take out phosphorous out of the molten iron. (Just like you filter out tea leaves out from your tea, where tea leaves are your phosphorous molecules in an analogy.)

What ancient Indians did was they never took out the phosphorous out of the pillar. They welded the cylindrical pieces of wrought iron. To remove the phosphorous from it, they started hitting it from all sides with a hammer. Phosphorous got pushed towards the surface of the cylinder from inside. So inside had no more phosphorous while outer surface had a protective layer of phosphorous. It was a win-win.

 

Credit : Quora

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What are the most interesting facts about Hinduism?

Firstly Hinduism is not a religion, it is way of life

Hinduism-oldest religion in world

The Vedas were written in 1700–1100 BC and Upanishads were written in 700 to 500 BC

Concept of cyclical time

Hindus believe in cyclical time

There is no beginning and endings

There are 4 yugas-1) kritayuga 2) Treta yuga 3)Dvapara yuga 4)kaliyuga

4 yugas are about 4.32 million years

At end of 4 yugas decline in human morality lead to total destruction of world

We are in 4th and final yuga kali

In kaliyuga shiva will perform a dance which will destroy the world.

Concept of Trimurti

Brahma-creator of world

Vishnu-preserver of world which means he protects the universe from being destroyed and keeps it going, according to this religion.

Shiva is known as “The Destroyer”. At end of every yuga shiva destroys world by opening 3rd eye.

108 have long been considered a sacred number in Hinduism. This number also connects the Sun, Moon, and Earth: The average distance of the Sun and the Moon to Earth is 108 times their respective diameters.

Classification of Hindus

We all know Muslims are classified into Sunni and Shiva. Christians into catholic and Protestants.

Similarly Hindus are classified into

1) shaivism

2) vaishnavism

3) shaktism

4) smartism

Worship of five shrines with five deities, all treated as equal – Shiva, Vishnu, Surya, Ganesha, and Shakti

Science behind Hindu traditions

1. Tulasi

Tulasi is sacred in hinduism.we regard it as earthly manifestation of godess tulsi(avatar of laxmi)

Science-According to Ayurveda Tulasi enhances your immunity

2. Upavas/fasting

Science-fasting diet showed health benefits including weight loss, lower blood pressure and a drop in levels of the hormone IGF-1, which primarily stimulates growth but also plays a role in regulating blood glucose levels.

3. Throwing coins into river

Hindus believe throwing coins into river can make them lucky

Science-Ancient Indian Science was very superior and there are many mentions in Ayurvedic texts about use of copper for water purification, or using copper or silver pots to store water. Silver, Copper and their alloys have many antimicrobial properties. And in ancient times the currency was forged with copper and silver.

 

Credit : Quora

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