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Facts about Caerlaverock Castle

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Located near Dumfries on the southern coast of Scotland, Caerlaverock Castle offers a window into the Middle Ages, reflecting the battles for Scottish independence from England, as well as battles between the castle’s Catholic owners, the Maxwells, and England’s Protestant rule.

Caerlaverock Castle
Author: Gernot Keller / (CC BY-SA 2.0)
  • Caerlaverock was important to the Scottish realm for its location across the Solway Firth from England.
  • “Caerlaverock” is thought to mean “fort of the skylark.”
  • Before the Caerlaverock castle was erected, the Caerlaverock lands held forts and fortifications that were used in Scotland’s battles against England.
  • The first Caerlaverock Castle was built by Sir John Maxwell after he received the land from King Alexander II of Scotland in 1220 AD. It was one of Scotland’s earliest stone castles. But construction was abandoned. Today, only its foundations and the remains of a wooden enclosure remain.
  • The present Caerlaverock Castle was built by Sir John’s brother, Sir Aymer Maxwell, more than 650 feet north of the first castle. Stone for the castle was quarried when the moat was dug.
  • The present castle is triangular in shape. Although no one knows why it was built in that design.It does seem to have given the castle strength, as well as visual appeal. It features three defensive curtain walls linked by corner towers and a twin-towered gatehouse.
  • At the turn of the 14th century, the Maxwells of Caerlaverock Castle successfully protected the castle and Scotland against King Edward I and his barons.However, in 1312, they lost the castle to King Edward II. Sir Edward Maxwell changed sides, throwing his allegiance to England, and dismantled the fortress. In return, he was allowed to live in the castle. The victory was short-lived as Sir Roger Kirkpatrick won back Caerlaverock for King David II of Scotland.
  • As the Maxwells regained ownership of the castle, Sir Robert Maxwell began rebuilding the war-damaged structure. Over the next 100 years, the gatehouse and additions were built. One of the additions is the Nithsdale Lodging (1630). It features ornate Renaissance stone carvings.
  • In the 1570s, in Catholic-versus-Protestant battles, Caerlaverock Castle was again badly damaged. At the end of the millennium, the 8th Lord John Maxwell again rebuilt damaged portions of the castle. His efforts proved futile, for he was killed in a family feud with the Johnstones of Annandale.
  • In the 17th century, more Catholic-versus-Protestant battles caused more damage to the castle, which has not been repaired or reinhabited in the years since.

Today, Caerlaverock Castle is protected as a landmark on the Caerlaverock National Nature Preserve, where waterfowl and wading birds spend each winter. The castle is a ruin, however, it is open for exploration. Nearby, a tearoom is open daily during the summer and on weekends during the winter. A movie, The Decoy Bride (2011), was filmed at Caerlaverock Castle.

Mystery of Isdal Woman: Facts and Info

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An unidentified woman was found dead on 29 November 1970 at Isdalen Valley, in Bergen, Norway. The woman has not been identified to this day and is known as the Isdal Woman. There still remains a great deal of public interest in the case and the events that led to her death.

Auhtor: Kawal preet pu / (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Below are some facts about the case of Isdal Woman:

  • The body was found in a part of Isdalen which was commonly known as ‘Death Valley’. A burned out passport was found next to the body. The official police report concluded that the cause of death was suicide but this was highly controversial. The autopsy showed that the woman had taken a number of sleeping pills and had suffered blunt force trauma to the neck.
  • The woman was naked and her body was partially charred and hidden among some rocks. It was found by a university professor and his two daughters at approximately 13:15.
  • Large amounts of sleeping pills and bottles of petrol were found at the scene. A full scale murder investigation was launched immediately.
  • Composite sketches were produced by the police based on witness descriptions and analysis of the body. The media published these sketches and they were also distributed in several countries by INTERPOL.
  • Police found that the woman had used nine different false identities to travel around Norway and Europe.
  • Witnesses had seen the woman using various wigs and several cryptic diary entries were found in her trunk.
  • The autopsy showed that the woman had undergone dental work that was likely to have been carried out in Latin America.
  • The woman was heard speaking several languages by witnesses: Dutch, English, French and German.
  • The woman had stayed at a number of hotels in Bergen and once she had checked in, she repeatedly asked to swap rooms.
  • Given the details of the case many people believe that she may have been a spy.
  • A local fisherman at the time stated, that he saw an unknown foreigner woman observing military installations in Stavanger.
  • It’s believed her movements corresponded to the secret trials of Norwegian Penguin Missile.
  • At most of the hotels where she stayed she ordered porridge with milk.
  • An Italian photographer had dinner with the woman at Hotel Alexandra in Loen. The woman had told him that she was originally from a small town to the north of Johannesburg in South Africa and that she only had six months to see Norway’s most beautiful places. No further information about the woman’s identity was gained from this line of inquiry.
  • The last sighting of the woman was when she checked out of the Hotel Marin. She paid in cash before asking to be picked up by a taxi. She was described as being a good looking woman aged 30-40 years and approximately 164cm tall.
  • The woman spent a lot of time in her room and was described as being on guard by hotel staff. She was seen to smoke a Norwegian brand of cigarettes.
  • A witness overheard the woman telling someone in German ‘I am coming soon’.
  • A local man reported seeing a woman of foreign appearance who was not dressed for hiking being followed by two men in black coats on 24 November. She looked as if she was about to say something to him but appeared intimidated by the men.
Isdalean Valley in Bergen Norway, where the remains of the mystery woman were found.

This case is now over 40 years old and while it cannot be said that it will definitely not be solved as time passes it becomes more and more unlikely. Whether the case is solved or not it will always remain known as one of Norway’s greatest mysteries.

Haast Eagle Facts and Info

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Haast’s Eagle lived on the South Island of New Zealand but is now an extinct species. It is the largest species of eagle to have ever existed. It’s prey is most likely moa, which were large flightless birds that have a resemblance to ostriches. The size of the eagle had grown due to evolution and the size of it’s prey would also increased over time. Both Haast’s Eagle and moa would have been smaller when they both first came to the island. Lack of competition for both species meant that as the moa began to grow in size so did the eagle.

Haast Eagle attacking Moa 
Author: John Megahan Source: Ancient DNA Tells Story of Giant Eagle Evolution 
(CC BY 2.5)

Below are a few facts about Haast’s Eagles:

  • The females of the species were larger than the males. Female Haast’s Eagles have been estimated to have weighed between 10 – 15kg (22 – 33lbs) compared to males who weighed between 9 – 12kg (20 – 26lbs).
  • The claws of the Haast’s Eagle were as long as a tiger’s and would grow up to 9cm in length.
  • The prey of Haast Eagles were moa and other types of large flightless birds. The moa were up to fifteen times heavier than the eagles, and also much larger in size to ostriches.
  • The speed at which the eagles attacked has been estimated to be at least 80km/h (50mph).
  • The eagles used both claws to attack, seizing the pelvis of the prey with one talon and using the other to kill the bird with a blow to the head or neck.
  • The largest known true raptors were Haast Eagles and they were even larger than any living vulture.
  • The wingspan of the bird is estimated to be between 2 – 3 meters.
  • The eagle had a standing height of up to 90cm and measured over 1.4 meters in length.

The Maori (New Zealand’s indigenous Polynesian people) hunted the moa and this led to them becoming extinct. This in turn led to the extinction of Haast Eagles in 1400 as their major food source was lost. The Maori also cleared a lot of the dense forest which was the habitat of the eagles. However, some reports suggest that the eagles may have been in existence in the 1800s when Europeans first arrived in New Zealand.

Facts About Phosphenes

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An artist’s depiction of a phosphene.
Author: Fiestoforo / (CC BY 3.0)

Have you ever seen “stars” after knocking your head, or even if you stood up too quickly? Those tiny points of light or other apparently visual sensations are known as “phosphenes”. Scientists are seeking to understand as much as they can about them, not least because such knowledge could help give a form of vision to blind people.

Here are a few facts about phosphenes:

  • A dictionary definition of a phosphene is: “A sensation of seeing light caused by pressure or electrical stimulation of the eye”.
  • The word comes from the Greek for “light” and “to show”. It can therefore be expressed as “light that shines forth”.
  • Even people who have been blind from birth can see them.
  • Phosphenes are generated by the visual cortex (at the rear of the brain) independently of stimulation from the optic nerve.
  • Phosphenes can be experienced by rubbing your closed eyes.
  • They can also be seen with the eyes open in a darkened room.
  • Other causes of phosphenes include electrical stimulation, strobe lights, substances such as LSD, and migraine headaches.
  • Phosphenes can be generated most readily when electrical pulses are applied at the same rate as brain waves (between 5 and 40 cycles per second).
  • Many different shapes and colors of phosphenes have been recorded, including impressions of spiders webs, bolts of lightning and geometric shapes.
  • Visions and hallucinations, as recorded from earliest times, may have phosphenes as likely explanations.
  • If phosphenes are regularly seen during eye movements, this can be a symptom of a detached retina.
  • Phosphenes may well have influenced the work of artists such as Miro, Dali and Kandinsky.
  • Children are able to see phosphenes more readily than adults. This ability tends to decline after adolescence.
  • It is believed that phosphenes are experienced by animals other than humans. Experiments with primates shows this almost certainly to be the case.
  • The first detailed scientific account of phosphenes was published in 1819 by Johannes Purkinje, a physiologist from Bohemia.
  • Research into phosphenes is looking at the links between visual stimulation and brain waves. There is a chance that linking a camera to the visual cortex could provide a means of allowing blind people to see.

The experience of phosphenes is widespread, can have many causes, and can take many forms. By studying the phenomenon in depth, scientists hope to learn more about how the brain works and to apply this knowledge to produce practical benefits.

Timor Sea: Facts and Information

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The Timor Sea is a shallow-bounded body of water located between the Island of Timor (where it forms a natural limit between Indonesia and Timor-Leste) and Australia. On the east and west, it is also bound by the Arafura Sea and the Pacific Ocean, respectively.


Here are a few facts about the Timor Sea:

  • It is believed that Australia’s aboriginals may have arrived to the continent by island-hopping across the Timor Sea, around the time when sea levels were significantly lower.
  • While the Timor Sea may be shallow, the deep Timor runs through near its northern edge, marking a natural boundary between the Indo-Australian plate and the Timor Plate.
  • According to the Arafura and Timor Seas Ecosystem Action Program, this body of water (along with nearby Arafura) is estimated to share over 10% of Earth’s coral reefs, and 0.75% of sea mounts.
  • Additionally, because of its relative remoteness, the sea harbors an extraordinary amount of marine wildlife, from shorebirds and dugong, to five out of seven different types of turtles and sea snakes.
  • The climate around the Timor Sea is tropical and monsoonal; many weather phenomenons originate in this body.
  • Two recent cyclones that disrupted the production of petroleum and hydrocarbons in the sea and human capital in Southeast Asia were Vivienne in February 2005, and Severe Tropical Cyclone Willy a month later.
  • The sea contains significant petroleum and gas reserves, from which exploration is shared by Australia and Indonesia. Major petroleum projects in the region are spearheaded by Bayu-Undan (operated by ConocoPhillips), AED Oil, and Woodside Petroleum.

Since the discovery of petroleum in the 1970’s —and specifically, that of Greater Sunrise in 1974—, both Australia and East Timor are locked in a dispute over their national boundaries and the access to these hydrocarbon fields. The first Timor Gap Treaty was signed in 1989 between Australia and Indonesia, which became invalid when Timor-Leste seceded from the latter; another treaty was negotiated in 2002, dividing the sea’s natural reserves in a 90:10 ratio. However, the sea was subject to Australia’s worst oil spill in 2009, when the Montara oil field leaked over 74 days and pumped between 500 and 2,000 barrels of oil a day.

Facts About the Night Witches: Soviet 588th Night Bomber Regiment

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The Night Witches regiment at an airfield in 1942.

Night witches is an English translation word for Nachthexen, which is German nickname from World War II for the female military aviators who belonged to 588th Night Bomber Regiment. This 588th Night Bomber Regiment came to be known as the 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment. The 46th Taman Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment was a part of the Soviet Air Forces. The regiment was founded by Marina Raskova and commanded by Yevdokia Bershanskaya.

  • This regiment flew harassment bombing, as well as, precision bombing missions against the German military. These bombing raids went on regularly from 1942 up until the war ended.
  • When it was at its largest sizes, the Night Witches regiments would have forty two-person crews.
  • The Night Witches Aviators managed to fly more than 23, 000 sorties, and they were said to have dropped, over 3,000 tons of bombs.
  • This female unit was one of the most-decorated of all women units in the Soviet Air Force. Each woman pilot flew over 800 missions by the time World War II came to an end.
  • 23 of these female pilots were awarded the Hero of the Soviet Union title.
  • 30 of the Night Witches members died in combat during World War II.
  • The kind of planes that this female regiment would fly in were made out of wood and canvas. These planes were called the Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes and they were the most produced of all biplanes in aviation history.
  • These biplanes were mainly constructed only for aircraft training and crop dusting. However, they were used in combat in World II, and they carried up to six bombs at a time.
  • This made these planes excellent for multiple night time bombing missions.
  • The Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes were very slow and obsolete. Despite this, the female aviators were able to use them in a daring way, by making use of their exceptional maneuverability.
  • These biplanes also had the upper advantage of having a maximum speed that was far lower than that of the stall speed of German air-crafts; Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190.The German pilots would find it very hard to shoot these female aviators down while in flight.
  • An attack technique that was used by the squadron of these Russian female pilots was that they would take their biplanes and power-off the engine close to the target.
  • They would then glide to the bomb release point.
  • The German soldiers were afraid of these aviators. The wind noise that these air-crafts made when gliding with no engine thrust at night time made them look like witches on broom sticks.
  • Thus the Germans gave these aviators the title ‘Night Witches’.

The Night Witches saw a lot of air combat and were an important part of the Soviet Air Forces. Their presence was very strong from a feminine aspect and they were a very important part of World War II air defense as a result.