Facts About Keyboards:

Here’s some interesting facts about keyboards, not just our standard QWERTY keyboard, but we also look at some of the other types out there. Check out the facts!

On a normal QWERTY keyboard, the word ‘Typewriter’ is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one row of the keyboard, which of course is the top row.

The QWERTY Keyboard was created by Christopher Sholes in 1868 and is now the most common type of keyboard used. It is also known as the Universal keyboard. Back in 1868 they had typewriters and laying the keyboard out in this way was to prevent the slow machine from going wrong. The first typewriter only typed in capital letters. The QWERTY keyboard for average computers is still the most popular mainly because of its cheapness and it’s easy to come across.

In 1932 Professor August Dvorak attempted to make the ultimate keyboard that would be easier to use than QWERTY. What an odd name as well, August? He wasn’t even born in August! I’m jealous. Anyway Dvorak’s idea to make it better than the original was by arranging the letters according to frequency. The keyboard had all five vowels and the five most common consonants on the middle row which are: AOEUIDHTNS. The letters on the middle row, also known as the home row, do a total of 70% of the work. On QWERTY they do only 32%. The least common letters were on the bottom row, because it is the hardest row to reach.

Then there are the specialized gaming keyboards, which are arranged in a way where the most common letters for playing games are grouped together so that it’s easier to use. Gaming keyboards often light up too, so that the keys can be seen easily. Original keyboards weren’t exactly made for gaming purposes, so in my opinion, this is a rather good idea.

Well hopefully you’re not a keyboard expert and you have learned something new in this post.

Computer Security Day: 30th November

The 30th of November each year is known as Computer Security Day. Check out the facts and the most infamous viruses over the past 25 years.

It was started in 1988 to help raise the awareness of computer related security issues. Although keeping your computer safe with an anti-virus and a firewall seems simple enough, you’d be surprised at just how many people get infected with viruses each year!

Since the very first computer virus, “Creeper”, wrote in the 1970’s (Which simply displayed the message: “I’m the creeper, catch me if you can!”), they have grown in size, are more complex, and not all of them are as harmless.

The History Of Lidl:

Lidl was first founded in Germany as a grocery wholesaler back in the 1930s by a member of the Schwarz family. Lidl’s full name is Lidl Stiftung & Co. KG.

The first Lidl stores were opened in 1973. By 1977 there were 33 Lidl stores in Germany. By the 1980s Lidl was a household name throughout Germany.

During the 1990s Lidl started to open stores around the rest of Europe and today Lidl stores can be found in nearly every country in Europe. Lidl is now well-known as a main European food retailer. Today, Lidl, as part of the Schwarz Group, is one of the largest grocery retailers in Europe; it has over 3100 stores in Germany and more stores around the rest of Europe. It is Aldi’s main competitor in Germany.

Since 1994, when Lidl first came to the UK, there has been a fast rise in the amount of stores and is now more than 400 stores, and there are still plenty more to come. Lidl are planning to take their stores outside of Europe and possibly build stores in locations such as Canada, Australia and Mexico.

The History Of Tesco:

Well we’ve all bought something from Tesco’s before, it’s the sort of shop where people assume everything’s really cheap, but I’ve noticed that it’s not actually that cheap, maybe that’s just me though.

Anyway, here’s how Tesco’s has became so big over the years. Tesco was founded by Jack Cohen in 1919 when he started to sell groceries from a small East End London stall. 1924 is the year that the Tesco brand first appeared.

The name ‘Tesco’ was established when Jack Cohen bought a batch of tea from T.E. Stockwell. He created labels which used the first three letters of the supplier’s name, which is TES, and the first two letters of his surname, which is CO. If you put the TES and the CO together, surprisingly it forms the word TESCO.

The very first Tesco store was opened in 1929. It bought a few more stores and supermarkets until the 1950s when it grew dramatically and had over 800 stores. The company bought out loads of different smaller stores.

In 1973 Jack Cohen resigned and was replaced by his son-in-law Leslie Porter.

In 1994, Tesco’s fought Sainsbury’s for control of a firm based in Dundee which operated 57 stores. This made it possible for Tesco’s to expand its stores into Scotland. In 1997 Tesco’s also expanded into Ireland.

In 1995 Tesco’s started their Internet shopping service which is still active and remains profitable for the company.

Since 2001 Tesco has spread its company all over Britain and basically buying out a small company they thought was worthy. Tesco now offer car and house insurance, it has its own mobile phone network, it has six different types of stores which are: Tesco Extra, Tesco superstores, Tesco Metro, Tesco Express, Tesco Homeplus and One Stop – Every Little Helps.

Now here’s two things I’m not too sure are true, but you can make your own mind up:

There is no such film as Charlie and the Tesco factory.

Tesco has not bought the other side of the Moon… Yet.

History Of Roman Numerals:

I read Roman numerals most days without realizing it, I have a clock which has Roman Numerals on it in my living room… so yeah, I know what one to twelve looks like, but not thirteen onwards. Well, here’s the history and a list of what the Roman Numerals mean.

Roman numerals follows the history of ancient Rome itself from its early stages at the Latin Palatine Hill in 8th and 9th century BC to its fall in the 2nd Century AD from civil war, plague, civil apathy and the rise of Christianity and Northern European powers.

“The Roman Empire had inspirational, industrious and intellectual beginnings. Emperor Domitianus, Aristotle, Aristarchus, Eratosthenes, Euclid and Archamedes helped to build Rome into an ancient power, developing sophisticated intellectual and mathematical skills to build the Colosseum, Constantine’s Arch, Pantheon, Roman Baths and Civil society. However, their number system was flawed, it had no zero (0), and no single method for counting above several thousand units, (lines were often placed over numerals to indicate multiples of their value).”

Roman numerals were used to record numbers in stone, art and coins. However that was a long time ago, these days they are used for list items, chapter headings, copyright dates and to mark film sequels such as the Star Wars films.

Roman numerals are also used on clock and watch faces. If you have seen a clock with Roman numbers, you may have realised that the number four is written as IIII instead of IV, this is because it adds symmetry to the clock face – although I don’t really think it adds symmetry at all. Numerals are often used to show the time on sundials too.

You can see a long list of Roman Numerals. It goes from 1 to 2016, and don’t ask why it stops at that number, but yeah.

And finally, if you’re wondering what the year is in Roman numerals, here’s your answer:

2010 = MMX

2011 = MMXI

2012 = MMXII

2013 = MMXIII

2014 = MMXIV

2015 = MMXV

2016 = MMXVI

2017 = MMXVII

2018 = MMXVIII

2019 = MMXIX

2020 = MMXX

The History Of Twister:

Did you know the original name of the Twister board game was Pretzel! Well if you want more facts on Twister, you’ve come to the right place!

Twister was based on a project that inventor Reyn Guyer was working on, which was a promotion for Johnson’s shoe polish company. Guyer created a polka dot paper mat and then thought it would be better as a game. He tested this with a group of office workers which were divided into two teams and called it ‘Pretzel’. The Milton Bradley Company (MB) noticed this invention and within a year released it as a new game called Twister and claimed it as their own idea.

‘Twister’ was invented by Charles Foley and Neil Rabens in April 1966 and was the first game invented that required people to use their bodies as playing pieces. When Twister was featured on ‘The Tonight Show’, where the presenter, Johnny Carson, climbed over Eva Gabor who was on her hands and knees wearing a short skirt, Milton Bradley (MB) was accused of selling an adult game by its competitors. More than three million copies of Twisters were sold during its first year of release.

Twister was very popular with both children and adults because the game needed both skill and action. In 1987, a record-breaking 4,160 people tied themselves up in knots playing a Twister marathon at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. Even to this day it is still popular with college students as they make a nice addition to parties.

The world record for the largest game of Twister took place on 30th April 2007, where over one hundred people turned up and two hundred Twister mats were used. As more people lost, mats were removed until eventually it was the last five people on one mat. The game was a tie between two people as they fell at the same time.

Facts About Kites:

Today I give you some interesting facts and awesome world records about kites and kite flying. If you love this hobby, check out the facts!

The smallest kite in the world which actually flies is 5mm high; the largest kite in the world is called the Megabite, which is 55 x 22 metres (630sq metres). The longest kite in the world is 1034 metres which is 3394 ft.

The fastest recorded speed of a kite is over 120 mph which is 193 km/h. The record for the longest kite fly is 180 hours! The highest that a kite has flown is 3801 metres, which is 12,471ft.

The largest number of kites flown on a single line is 11,284; this record is held by a Japanese kite maker. Kite flying was banned in Japan in 1760 because too many people preferred to fly kites than work. To be honest, I think most people would prefer that even now. Some Japanese kites weigh over 2 tons.

Kite flying was banned in China during the Cultural Revolution, anyone found flying a kite was sent to jail for up to three years and their kites destroyed. The Chinese name for a kite is Fen Zheng, which means wind harp. The name is derived from early Chinese kites which used to carry wind musical instruments. Also the Chinese believe that looking at kites high in the sky maintains good eyesight.

There are 78 rules in kite fighting in Thailand – how could this be possible… I can’t even think of one rule!

For centuries kites have been used in wars and battles, for signalling, lifting observers, target practice, as barrage kites, dropping letters and newspapers.

It is now thought that the first kites flown over 3000 years ago, were made from leaves. Since then they’ve been made of a load of different materials which means that there is about 12 people are killed each year in kiting accidents throughout the world!

The aeroplane is a development of the kite. Kite flying is one of the fastest growing sports in the world with over 50 million kites being sold in the USA every year. Also a common thought is that you need wind to be able to fly a kite, this is not true, wind is not needed to be able to fly a kite.