/oss/taxonomy/term/497/all en /oss/article/history-general-science/arsenic-and-old-books <p>I’ve long been intrigued by the 1851 Crystal Palace Exhibition in London. The magnificent building was constructed of 60,000 panes of glass, ten times as many as in the windows of the Empire State Building! There were exhibits from around the world that included the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond, a steam-powered printing press, an early prototype of a fax machine and a device that used leeches to predict the weather based on the idea that leeches in a jar of water would rise to the top when a storm was approaching.</p> Thu, 05 Sep 2024 18:23:37 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10058 at /oss /oss/article/student-contributors-history-did-you-know/weaving-history-persian-carpets <p>Although I could get straight to the point and tell you about Persian carpets, it’s only fitting to begin with a bit of history about the Persian Empire. Cyrus the Great, who reigned from approximately 559 to 530 BCE, founded the first Persian Empire. His legacy includes the Cyrus Cylinder, often regarded as the first declaration of human rights, in which he decreed religious freedom and protection for all within his empire.</p> Fri, 23 Aug 2024 14:17:14 +0000 Hosna Akhgary 10045 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-history/genghis-khan-hiding-inside-your-dna <p>Genghis Khan is more legend than man. We’re not even sure when he was born: historians agree it’s somewhere in the decade that spans 1155 and 1167. That birth has itself been mythologized. Stories tell of a ray of light impregnating his mother; the baby, named Temüjin, was apparently born holding on to a piece of clotted blood, an omen of his later conquests. His death in 1227 is shrouded in rumours both kind and denigrating. Genghis Khan was struck by lightning. He died of an arrow wound that led to a systemic infection. He was castrated by a princess.</p> Fri, 23 Aug 2024 13:51:15 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10044 at /oss /oss/article/medical-critical-thinking-history/book-natural-healers-really-hate <p>To the conspiracy-minded alternative health practitioner, everything was great until the Flexner Report was published.</p> Fri, 16 Aug 2024 03:19:23 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10038 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-history/water-cures-have-flowed-through-history <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-water-cures-have-flowed-through-history">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 16 Aug 2024 19:12:39 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10040 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-history/how-crazy-claim-about-bottle-jumper-led-riot <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-how-a-crazy-claim-about-a-bottle-jumper-led-to-a-riot">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 09 Aug 2024 16:29:23 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10023 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/black-goo-blue-dye-and-beyond-fascinating-history-aniline <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-from-black-goo-to-blue-dye-and-beyond-the-fascinating-history-of-aniline">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>During the Second World War, American soldiers carried a first aid kit attached to their belt that contained a powder to be sprinkled on any open wound to prevent infection. That powder was sulfathiazole, synthesized by chemists from aniline, then already a compound of great commercial importance with a fascinating history.</p> Fri, 02 Aug 2024 19:06:17 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10016 at /oss /oss/article/history-did-you-know-general-science/dracula-enhanced-butts-and-grecian-bend <p>The 1993 Academy Award for costume design went to Eiko Ishioka for creating the magnificent costumes in the hit film, “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.” Particularly stunning were the dresses worn by Wynona Rider in her role as Mina Harker, Dracula’s main love interest. The film is set in the late 1800s when women’s fashion featured a padded undergarment known as a “bustle” to accentuate the fullness of the buttocks.</p> Tue, 30 Jul 2024 16:15:37 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10012 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-history/yes-helen-keller-was-deafblind <p>It started with the Helen Keller jokes. You could call it an unfortunate revival. Over forty years ago and following the broadcast of <i>The Miracle Worker,</i> jokes about Helen Keller became mainstream.</p> Fri, 26 Jul 2024 02:34:43 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10009 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-pseudoscience-history/will-graphology-become-extinct <p>Can a pseudoscience ever truly disappear? Over the course of human history, we have made many attempts at explaining the world around us, and while some of these guesses were eventually confirmed through rigorous scientific experimentation, many of our hypotheses were shown to be wrong, yet some survived. They became belief systems with a patina of scientific credibility applied on top. It still surprises me that astrology, a clear pseudoscience which has been firmly supplanted by both astronomy and human psychology, remains popular today.</p> Fri, 19 Jul 2024 12:02:15 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 10004 at /oss /oss/article/student-contributors/dos-and-donts-burn-first-aid <p>Burns, injuries to the skin caused by heat, radiation, electricity, friction, or chemicals, are among the most common and painful injuries. Throughout history, a variety of unusual and sometimes bizarre treatments have been used for burns. One of the earliest documented treatments comes from ancient Egypt, recorded in the Ebers Papyrus around 1500 B.C.</p> Fri, 12 Jul 2024 17:29:03 +0000 Hosna Akhgary 10001 at /oss /oss/article/medical-health-and-nutrition-history/story-linking-nutrition-and-health-has-unexpected-twists <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-nutrition-heart-health-history-tips">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 28 Jun 2024 17:28:05 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9991 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science-reviews/pick-card-any-card <p>The curtain went up in “Heller’s Wonder Theatre” on Broadway to reveal a blindfolded lady comfortably seated center stage. A volunteer from the audience was solicited to “pick a card, any card!” She did so, thinking of course that it was a free choice. It wasn’t. Robert Heller, the premier American magician of the mid 19th century, was highly skilled at “forcing” a card. There was nothing really novel about that, but his revelation of the selected card was truly innovative. Heller resorted to chemical magic!</p> Wed, 26 Jun 2024 22:59:16 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9988 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/iron-fallout-hair-permanents <p>For most people a car is just a vehicle that gets them from one place to another, and as far as cleanliness is concerned, occasionally driving through a car wash is good enough. But some individuals are so reviled by a speck of dirt that they will wash, wax and polish until the car has the appearance of one sitting in a dealer’s showroom. The wheels, be they steel or alloys of magnesium or aluminum, receive much attention because they must shine! And this is where focus falls on iron fallout.</p> Tue, 18 Jun 2024 00:21:49 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9980 at /oss /oss/article/student-contributors-health-and-nutrition-history/are-electric-or-manual-toothbrushes-better <p>The first ever toothbrush design, used by ancient Babylonians and Egyptians, dates back to 3500 BC. The primitive toothbrush, known as a “chew stick”, was a thin twig with a frayed end. The modern toothbrush was designed by William Addis in England and was the first mass-produced toothbrush, entering the market in 1780. Its handle was carved from cattle bone and the bristles were made from pig’s hair. Quite the luxury upgrade from twigs, wouldn’t you say? Fast forward to the 1960s, when the electric toothbrush was introduced.</p> Fri, 07 Jun 2024 16:00:00 +0000 Hosna Akhgary 9972 at /oss