Author: Adrian Chirila

Even if piracy may not be the oldest profession in the world, it certainly was among the first. Eighteenth and nineteenth century piracy in and around the Caribbean has been heavily romanticized in various novels and movies over the past century, but the actual act has been around for a very long time – probably…

Like many of the other living beings on Earth, we rely on our senses to function in the world. And even though we humans have the five major senses, there could be as many as 21. Nevertheless, the sense of sound is one of the major ones, and it helps us pick up on vibrations…

Sparta is one of the most extreme civilizations in Earth’s history. Relatively early in Greek history, even before the Classical World had begun, the Spartans drove through a radical social and political revolution. In effect, all Spartans are made to be equal. Really equal. And they developed key concepts we still use today, like the…

Symbols are meant to stand for something. We see them every day, and without even thinking about them, we know what they mean… for the most part. They make our lives easier and we don’t give them enough credit for it. We don’t even know the origins for most of them, or what they really…

You’ve probably heard the “story” where all animals in Australia are just there to kill people. While this is mostly for fun, there is a kernel of truth to this statement. Most plants and animals living there are quite unique and many even dangerous to the unprepared or the unaware. But why do people say…

Let’s get this out of the way, right off the bat, in case you’re not as obsessive as we are, or just haven’t gotten caught up yet on the TV series or books yet: SPOILERS AHEAD. A Song of Ice and Fire is a series of epic fantasy novels written by George R.R. Martin. To…

Chances are that maybe you, or at least someone else you know, is vegetarian. A vegetarian is someone who doesn’t eat meat, fish, or poultry. Vegans, on the other hand, are vegetarians but go a bit beyond that. A vegan not only doesn’t eat the above mentioned meats, but also abstains from all animal products,…

The main purpose for studying history is not to see who ruled over what lands and when, or who fought against whom, how many they were, or who won in the end. This way of looking at things today will only flare up spirits between otherwise peaceful people, making them hate others who they haven’t…

We have to realize that weather, in all its forms, has influenced and shaped humanity in every conceivable way. The weather and the surrounding environment (which is also shaped by weather) has influenced language in every part of the world, how people built the houses and shaped their societies, what they ate, and the way that…

War is never fun, exciting or a source of glory for anyone (well, at least it shouldn’t be). Only someone who hasn’t experienced it firsthand would believe such a thing. As many have put it over the years: “War is hell,” pure and simple. And because this statement is a fact, most countries around the world…

For nearly one thousand years, the world quaked at their footsteps, and the very sound of their name: The Legions. The elite troops of Rome’s formidable army, which would carve up an empire that stretched from the Highlands of Scotland to the scorching deserts of the Arabian Peninsula. They would kill and enslave millions, pillage…

The Butterfly Effect principle simply states that, given enough time, whatever event, no matter how small, can and will have tremendous reverberations into the future. And when talking about past disasters, natural or otherwise, we always have to keep in mind that, even though devastating, they are part of what brought us here in the…

Piracy is as old as the sea itself … or at least since there’s been some loot to be plundered. But the pirate legacy has since been high-jacked by Hollywood and romantic fiction. And pirates have been told as being faintly noble, selfless, independent, and with a great degree of charm. But the real pirate…

A supervolcano is defined as having the capacity to produce an eruption so big that it can eject around 240 cubic miles of volcanic material in the form of molten rock, hot gases, and ash. That’s roughly one thousand times more than the largest volcanic eruption ever recorded in modern human history. Supervolcanoes are formed…

As of last year the word “meme” has been added to the Merriam Webster dictionary alongside “emoji” and other, so called, tech words. Surprisingly enough, the word made its first appearance way back in 1976, in Richard Dawkins’ book, The Selfish Gene. He used it to explain the spread of ideas and all sorts of…

On one of her visits to Italy, the Duchess of Northumberland was inspired by the Medici family, and with one of their botanical gardens in particular. Like the Italian family of old, the Duchess decided to design a garden at her castle in Alnwick, filled with over 100 of the most poisonous plants around the…

Nature is amazing. There is no doubt about that. People have marveled at nature’s beauty since they came into existence. Not knowing what was happening, these people of old came up with some truly magnificent stories, trying to give a sense to the world around them. Today we are blessed with more knowledge about the…

What really sets Game of Thrones, or A Song of Ice and Fire (the actual name of the book series) apart from other fantasy fiction is its apparent historic realism. It has magical elements, but that tends to be pushed to the fringes of the overall story. And as most great authors often do, they borrow…

Though not all agree, video games can be considered as being a new art form. Moreover, video games are seen by many as a form of art with which one can actively interact. From the breathtaking landscapes, to the incredible soundtracks and general atmosphere, as well as the enticing plot, some video games can bring…

Some 80,000 years ago, our planet began to cool, heralding the dawn of the last ice age. The Arctic ice sheets expanded, covering about half of the North American continent. Nevertheless, south of this huge block of ice, life flourished in unexpected ways. This was a land of giants like the Woolly Mammoths, Saber-Toothed Cats,…

As Mark Twain famously put it, “Truth is stranger than fiction.” And so it is with movies. As authors and screenwriters use their imaginations to come up with some truly amazing stories, they do draw inspiration from the real world on occasion. Events, places, and even characters are influenced by what really is out there. Believe…

Flags have been around for a very long time. You probably saw a bunch of them at the Opening Ceremonies in Rio last week. The oldest flag ever found dates back to the 3rd millennium BC in present-day Iran, and was made out of bronze. Their purpose was to give people information and became especially…

The further back we look through history, the more diverse the people are. This isn’t surprising, given the fact that many nations today are basically tribes that found their way to today’s world. And each of these “tribes” is as diverse as the places they hailed from. Europe is no different. During the Early Middle…

People make sacrifices all the time, for lots of reasons. Our time is limited, and you can only be in one place at a time. Actors are no different. They make sacrifices in their lives, sure. But it’s when they make those sacrifices for their craft that people sit up and really take notice. With that…