Generations of Germans believe Frederick the Great brought potatoes to Germany. It's a myth
The legend is this: King Frederick II of Prussia wanted his subjects to eat potatoes, introduced to Europe in the 16th century from South America. But the people of Prussia, which later became part of a united Germany , wouldn't touch the tuber.
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Strawbery Banke Museum announces opening date and renaming of historic building
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4 days ago
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105 years ago: Greenock's 'oldest graving dock' being filled in (1920)
From the archive... THE old graving dock at Greenock West Harbour, one of the oldest in Scotland, is being filled in, and will soon have disappeared in the common level of Harland & Wolff's yard. The dock must be about 150 years old, having been constructed later than the one at Port-Glasgow, which dates from 1762, and is claimed to be the oldest graving dock in Scotland. During the war several concrete ships were built in the dock. Old Graving dock at Greenock harbour in 1920 (Image: archive) In the old engine-house there is still in fair working order an engine of the original Watt design. The contractors Sir Wm. Arrol & Co. are carrying material from part of the yard which is being levelled and dumping it with other debris in the old basin. A narrow-gauge railway has been laid from the foot of the yard round to the graving dock, and the little train of bogies, with their toylike locomotive, are a source of great interest to the passersby. THE curious little bogie engine and tipping waggons at the West Quay. Its whistle always provokes a smile. (Image: archive)This article and the accompanying pictures were first published in the Telegraph in August 1920.
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Beluga Whale Bites at 2 Divers Inside Aquarium Tank, Terrifying Visitors
Visitors could be heard yelling and screaming as they watched the scary incident unfold NEED TO KNOW A beluga whale was captured biting at two divers inside a tank at the Chengdu Haichang Polar Ocean Park in Sichuan, China, on Thursday, Aug. 14 The pair of divers could be seen swimming away and were reportedly unharmed by the incident Beluga whales are known to have a 'great curiosity towards humans' and to be "very intelligent," according to the Natural History Museum A chilling underwater showdown between a beluga whale and divers was caught on viral footage shows the terrifying moment when a beluga whale attempted to bite two divers who were nearby inside a tank at the Chengdu Haichang Polar Ocean Park in Sichuan, China, on Thursday, Aug. 14, according to a video from Viral Press. The whale could be seen surging toward a female aquarium worker and biting at her legs as she attempted to swim up and away from the sea creature. Moments later, the animal lunged at another male diver who appeared to be holding a camera. The whale appeared to successfully bite the male diver's flippers, and could be seen holding on for a few moments. The animal attempted to bite the male diver's flippers one more time before eventually swimming off, according to the clip. The two divers managed to swim away from the whale without any injuries. As the incident was unfolding, aquarium visitors, who watched from outside the tank, could be heard shouting and screaming as they reacted to the divers' attempts to get away. This isn't the first time something like this has happened. In April, a woman, who was taking part in an underwater photo shoot with two beluga whales at the Stone Forest Ice and Snow World in Yunnan, China, was attacked by one of the creatures, per Viral Press. In that video, the beluga whale grabbed the woman's head in its mouth and removed her wig. The woman managed to get away and swim to the surface safely without any injuries, per the outlet. Beluga whales are known to be social creatures who can show 'great curiosity towards humans,' according to the Natural History Museum (NHM). They are also 'very intelligent,' according to NHM researchers. However, there have been multiple instances where beluga whales in captivity have been seen on video showing aggressive behavior toward humans. This can happen if they feel threatened or provoked, per a study on ResearchGate. Beluga whales are listed as being of "least concern" on the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Read the original article on People
