Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Catapults History

Catapults History
The Catapults history dates back to antiquity. Various types of catapults were used by the Chinese, Greeks and Romans. The Catapults reached Europe during the Medieval era and were used extensively by the French. Catapults history notes that the weapons were introduced to England in 1216 during the Siege of Dover - as were many other types of siege weapons. Louis the Dauphin of France crossed the Channel with a large force and laid siege to Dover Castle making a violent and incessant attack on the castle walls. He used the Catapults against the walls and men of Dover Castle. The constable of Dover castle was Hugh de Burgh - he refused to surrender. The Medieval Catapults used during the Middle Ages were the Mangonel, the ballista and the mighty trebuchet. The Mangonel complimented the other available siege weapons. The Mangonel was not as accurate as the Ballista but it was able to throw missiles further than a Trebuchet. Missiles were thrown in an overhead arc as opposed to the straight trajectory of the dart throwing Ballista.

Monday, May 9, 2011

Hagfish

The hagfish can actually tie itself in a knot to rid itself of a noxious slime

Hagfish

The Hagfish is not a species that a lot of people are all that familiar with. Because of this when most people see them for the first time they are certain that the creature is either a snake or an eel, but it is neither. The Hagfish is indeed a fish; it just does not look much like the other fish that we come across. What makes this marine fish stand out is the fact that it does have a body like an eel or a snake and this is due to the fact that the animals have a skull but they do not have vertebrae. As you can imagine that makes the fish a bit confusing to look at. Even many scientists believe that this is the most disgusting and odd of all of the species of sea creatures.