An article about science and the stories of Rapunzel, Jack and the beanstalk, and the goose that laid the golden egg:
Fairy tale physics: myths and legends explained
The World of Royalty Blog from www.royalty.nu
An article about science and the stories of Rapunzel, Jack and the beanstalk, and the goose that laid the golden egg:
Fairy tale physics: myths and legends explained
Want to buy a stack of paperback books almost as tall as the Empire State Building?
Number of books in this collection: 1,082
Weight in pounds: 700
Price in U.S. dollars: $7,989.50
The bad news: This can only be purchased at Amazon.com, and can only be shipped to U.S. addresses.
The good news: Free shipping!
Spain’s Crown Prince Felipe and Crown Princess Letizia recently had their first child, a daughter named Leonor. This is a Spanish form of the name Eleanor. Felipe in English is, of course, Philip, and Letizia in English would be Leticia or Lettice. (I’ve read that Letizia’s parents intended to name her Leticia, but someone made a spelling mistake at the time of her birth; I don’t know if that’s true.)
Here are the names of the kings of Spain since 1516, with the English versions of their names in parentheses: Fernando (Ferdinand), Carlos (Charles), Felipe (Philip), Luis (Louis), José (Joseph), Amadeo (Amadeus), Alfonso (Alphonse), Juan Carlos (John Charles).
(Note that King José/Joseph was not a member of the Spanish royal family, but a brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. Joseph Bonaparte reigned as king of Spain for five years before being deposed.)
Name of the only reigning queen of Spain since 1516: Isabel (Isabella
Names of Spanish kings’ wives: Isabel (Isabella or Elizabeth), Maria (Mary), Ana (Anne), Margarita (Margaret), Mariana (Marie-Anne, Maria Anna), María Luisa (Marie Louise), María Magdalena Bárbara, María Amalia, Julie, María Isabel, María Josefa (Maria Josepha), María Cristina (Maria Christina), María Victoria, María de las Mercedes, Victoria Eugenia (Victoria Eugenie), Sofia (Sophia).
(Note: Julie was the wife of Joseph Bonaparte.)
The name of Queen Isabel II’s husband: Francisco
Daughters of the current king of Spain: Elena, Cristina
Putting it all together, here are two partial lists of Spanish royal names:
Male: Alfonso, Amadeo, Carlos, Felipe, Fernando, Francisco, José, Juan Carlos, Luis
Female: Amalia, Ana, Bárbara, Cristina, Elena, Isabel, Josefa, Leonor, Letizia, Luisa, Magdalena, Margarita, María, Mariana, Sofia, Victoria
I’m almost finished reading Catilina’s Riddle by Steven Saylor, a mystery set in ancient Rome. Read more....
“More than 2 1/2 years after looters sacked Iraq’s National Museum in Baghdad, Iraqi authorities and police forces throughout the world are still searching for thousands of stolen items.”
You can learn more here: Lost Treasures From Iraq
I love to play computer games. And I recently bought a new game: Civilization IV.
For those who aren’t familiar with the Civilization series: They are turn-based games, which means they are basically like board games. You take your turn, then your opponents (whether real people or computer-controlled) take their turns. Read more....
