Showing results by author "iMinds" in All Categories

Learn about the life and inventions of Thomas Edison with the iMindsJNR audio-learning series for younger minds. Imagine a world where you couldn't phone your friends, listen to music, or watch movies. This was the world before Thomas Edison's inventions. Edison is one of the greatest inventors in history. He was born in Ohio in 1847, the youngest of seven children. By the time he died in 1931, aged 84, the world had benefited from so many of his inventions that now make our lives easier and more enjoyable.

Learn about the history of the US Constitution with iMindsJNR audio-learning series for younger minds. The United States Constitution is the highest law in the United States of America. All other laws made in the country come from the Constitution. The Constitution outlines and shows how the government of the United States should work. It is the oldest and yet shortest Constitution still in use in any major independent country.

Learn about the Cold War with iMinds' JNR audio-learning series for younger minds. For nearly half of the 20th century, the two most powerful countries in the world were also two great enemies.The Cold War was a time of great tension between the United States and the Soviet Union, led by Russia. It lasted from the end of World War II in 1945 until about 1991. Russia was a communist country, and the U.S. was the largest capitalist country in the world. Their different ideas of government caused them to be extreme enemies.

Learn about the intricacies of sharia law with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series.

Sharia law is the law of the religion of Islam. The "sharia" means the "path" Muslims should follow if they are to lead good lives. Sharia law regulates not only human relationships between individuals, like other legal systems, but also human relationships with God. Therefore, sharia is much more than a law as Westerners know it. It is an entire way of life for Muslims.

Learn about the Fall of the Berlin Wall with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. The Berlin Wall stood as a boundary in the German capital for 28 years, 2 months and 26 days. It symbolised the split between not only West and East Berlin, but western and eastern Europe as a whole. It was an international symbol of the Cold War and represented an ideological divide between capitalism in the west and communism in the east.

Learn about landing a man on the Moon with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. When the Cold War was at its height in the 1950s and 1960s, the U.S. and Russia were fierce rivals. So, with burgeoning technology making flying safer and easier, these two world powers embarked on a "space race" to see who could be the first to launch a man into space - and eventually to put a man on the Moon.

Learn the history of the Davis Cup with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. The Davis Cup weighs more than 100 kilograms, is over one metre tall, and is the world's oldest sports trophy. It has been filled with champagne in Paris nightclubs, stolen in Peru, and locked in bank vaults during world wars. These days, it is sought after by more than 100 countries every year and known to many as the "holy grail" of men's tennis.

There's nothing like a good comeback. It's witty, snappy and completely devastating to your verbal sparring partner. But how many times have you gone completely blank when arguing with someone, only to think of the perfect comeback an hour later? More than anything, you wish you could wind back time and deliver your riposte at the perfect moment. That's l'esprit de l'escalier.

The story of the Internet begins in the early 1960s, when Russia launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial earth satellite. Afraid of the technological potential of the Russians, the United States Department of Defense formed the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), in order to develop US science and technology, and in particular its application in the military.

The Mockumentary.. or fake documentary.. is becoming an increasingly successful film and television formula across many genres. Although they all investigate very different people, places, and events, they all share one key characteristic that differentiates them from most documentaries. None of it is real. They're all make-believe.

Learn about lobbying with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. In a perfect world, elected officials in democratic countries would make decisions in the public interest after considering issues objectively and impartially. This is how parliaments and other representative bodies are supposed to work. In reality, however, politicians around the world are subject to a range of influences and pressures that can distort the political process.

It was November 25, 1947.The place was the Hotel Waldorf Astoria in New York City. The president of the Motion Picture Association of America, Eric Johnson, was meeting with 48 film industry executives representing the major studios. The outcome was the joint release of a statement saying the Hollywood studios would not employ Communists. But it did not end there.

Learn about EBITDA with iMinds Money's insightful fast knowledge series. Traditionally, those looking to investigate the financial health and value of a company have focused on things such as net income, cash flow and revenue. In recent times, another form of financial analysis has become increasingly used by investors, debt holder and others interested in the worth of businesses. It is known as EBITDA.

Learn about Property Securities with iMinds Money's insightful fast knowledge series. Property securities are interests in property trusts that are listed on the stock exchange. These listed property trusts are known globally as Real Estate Investment Funds, or REITs. They hold portfolios of property assets that consist of large properties that, due to their size and value, could not be bought by average private investors.

Where can you find Ancient Greek and Roman artefacts sitting with twentieth century French impressionist masterpieces? Where can shining suits of armour be compared with traditional Korean dresses? One of the world’s largest and most encyclopaedic collections of art lies in New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. Affectionately known as The ‘Met’, it is the largest art museum in the Western Hemisphere, housing over 2 million artefacts.

The Rockefeller family has been one of the most influential in American history. Universities, halls and parks all bear the name of and are dedicated to members of this prominent New York family. Over the last hundred years, the Rockefellers have spent billions of dollars in acts of philanthropy or charity. They have had a hand in moulding the modern-day New York City. And the Rockefeller Centre stands as the Rockefellers’ greatest and most influential real estate contribution to this city.

The will to win. The desire to be the best. The need to lift heavier or run faster than anybody has done before. These are all important motivators for success in sports. But they also contribute to the incredible pressure on athletes to do whatever it takes to improve their performance. The practice of ‘doping’ in sports has been around for over a century. And yet it is only quite recently that there has been widespread disapproval of it.

Learn about the game of Poker with iMinds insightful knowledge series. Poker is a family of card games, first popularised in the United States, and now played throughout the world. Traditionally played with a deck of fifty-two cards, it has many rule variations and is played at both amateur and professional levels. Regarded by many as a game of equal parts luck and skill, poker is a mainstay of modern popular culture.

‘Conflict diamonds’ are precious gems that have been sold on the black market to finance violent rebel groups, terrorists or oppressive governments. They almost always originate from poor, underdeveloped countries located on the African continent. It is estimated that conflict diamonds account for up to 15 percent of the world’s traded diamonds.

Learn about the story of the Sundance Kid with iMinds insightful knowledge series. The last scene of George Ray Hill’s 1969 film, ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’ depicts the two titular outlaws running out from a building surrounded by Bolivian officers, into a frenzied gun-battle in which they are drastically, and hopelessly, out-numbered. The final shot freezes on Sundance, played by Robert Redford, and Butch, played by Paul Newman, as they run, injured, but with their guns ready, into the fire.