In 527, at the time when the Eastern Roman Empire ruled Syria, soldiers discovered in an alcove there existed a lamp covered with a very sophisticated hood. According to history books, this lamp was lit in the year 57, which means that the lamp has been burning for nearly 500 years. Another lamp above the door of the temple of the sun god in Egypt is also recorded by Greek historians. The lamp does not use any fuel and still burns brightly for centuries, despite the impact of rain and wind. The oldest lamp was discovered in the 1400s, in the tomb of Pallas, son of the ancient Roman king Evandra. Thus, this lamp has so far burned brightly for more than… 2,600 years. To date, scientists have not been able to get an exact answer for that strange black chemical. In 1534, King Henry VIII’s army stormed the English synagogue, disbanding religious groups and excavating numerous graves. While digging through the grave of the Roman emperor Constantin’s father in Yorkshire, they discovered a burning lamp. This king’s father died in the year 300, which also means that the lamp was found to have a “life expectancy” of more than 1,200 years? These are just a few of the many millennial lights that do not go out. Records show that this mysterious phenomenon occurs all over the world, typically in countries and regions with ancient civilizations such as India, China, Egypt… The strange thing is that these mysterious lights are not preserved and preserved for the next life. Many researchers believe that, at that time, there were so many eternal lamps that they did not need to be preserved, so they did not have measures to preserve these “forever” finds. According to records, in fact, ancient people also thought of preserving these lamps, but strangely, shortly after being discovered, they were quickly destroyed by various causes. The scholar Saint Augustin (354-430) described an eternal lamp in the temple of Isis (Egypt). The most confusing thing is that it is located in the roofless part, despite the wind and rain. Similarly, the lamp in Edessa (Syria) burned for 500 years in extreme weather conditions. In 1300, the “special oil” theory was partly clarified, when the researcher Marcus Grecus wrote in his Liber Ignum (Book of Fire) that some eternal lamps used special fuels. It wasn’t oil but just a fine powder made from “glow worms”, but what kind of worms Marcus didn’t know and the mystery was forever buried. Marcus only said that “I looked at the wick, it was as long as my arm. A long time later, I came back and it was the same length, no one changed the wick or added more flour.” In 1401, in the grave of Pallas (son of King Evandra – Roman), people found an eternal lamp and said it had burned for 2,600 years. To put it out, according to the elders, there is only one way to break it all or pour out its “oil”. In 1450, a farmer in Padoue (Italy), while plowing his field found an earthenware vase, followed by two small metal vessels, one of gold and one of silver. In these two jars was a strange slime, half oil, half honey. Inside the terracotta vase was another terracotta vase containing an eternal lamp that was still burning. Buried underground (since when) and burned in such low oxygen conditions, it is a mystery. In 1610, researcher Ludovicius Vives claimed to have seen an eternal lamp (burning for 1,500 years) and was smashed by potters. The historian Cambden (England) in 1586 also mentioned an eternal lamp at the grave of Constantius Chlorus, father of Constantine the Great. Chlorus died in 306 in England and since then, an eternal lamp has been placed in his grave. In Spain, there was also an eternal lamp found at Cordone in 1846. Priest Evariste – Regis Huc (1813-1860) was an avid traveler in Asia and found such an immortal lamp in Tibet in 1853. The above findings prove that these mysterious lamps are not the product of Greece, Egypt or Rome alone. Chemist Brand (Hambourg – Germany) in 1669 determined that these eternal lamps burn for so long because of phosphorus. Others believe that they burn for a long time because they do not need air, on the contrary, if exposed to air they will extinguish. If this opinion is true, could the ancients know the vacuum technique? Besides, fire burns without oxygen is a very difficult thing to understand. These debates force people to turn to another mystery: the Egyptian lighting technique. On the streets of ancient Egypt, people used oil lamps and torches. Fuels are residues that are rich in fats and oils. But in the crypts dug up to 100 meters into the mountains, what light did the slaves and sculptors work with? In these catacombs, there was no trace of any lamps or torches. So did the Egyptians use mirrors to reflect sunlight? But the “mirrors” of that time were only silver, and could only reflect 40% of the light, meaning that at a depth of a few tens of meters, darkness would completely cover again. A shocking discovery has shocked the archaeological world: at the temple of Hator in Denderah, built more than 4,200 years ago, there are drawings showing that the Egyptians “used strange instruments that looked like light bulbs. electricity today!”. Is this the mysterious light technique? Scientist Erich Von Daniken (Germany) is trying to recreate these giant light bulbs in the lab, but has not found the core of the problem. Egyptologists also conceded defeat, because apparently there was no electricity at that time. With such records of “forever-on” lamps being discovered around the world, it may be confirmed that these mysterious lamps do indeed exist. However, the manufacture and use of them is still a mystery to mankind and the scientific world.

Perhaps many people have left high school with the impression that History is boring and boring. Events associated with numbers, dry, impersonal narratives that are unknown to anyone, stories that happened far and wide with relative timelines like “a few tens of thousands of years.” ”, “20-30 thousand years ago”… However, that feeling will disappear when the reader Sapiens – A brief history of mankind with pictures – episode 1: The beginning of mankind. The work was born from the cooperation of three authors Yuval Noah Harari, David Vandermeulen, Daniel Casanave. A special edition Before Sapiens – A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari, a Jewish-American historian has been well received by many readers, including Vietnamese readers. This book, though thick and heavy both literally and figuratively, has been hotly discussed by a wide audience. Reading him, one will go from one surprise to another and after reading it, there will be questions and reflections left in the mind. He has been very successful in making the reader, be it the average reader or the researcher, one more time pondering the true meaning of history. This time, the content that appeared in that book has been restructured, recreated in a special edition – the “picture” version. Book Sapiens – A Brief History of Humankind with Pictures, Volume 1. Photo: Omega Plus. Overseas, it is very common for a classic, famous, best-selling or influential work to appear in multiple versions for different audiences. However, even if it is the same basic expression of the same content, each version has its own uniqueness and appeal. Those who have read Sapiens-human history Before that, it would have been thrilling to flip open the book to see what the picture version was all about. The book opens with the foreword by Yuval Noah Harari: “Dedicated to extinction, loss, and oblivion. Everything fits and falls apart.” Reading this preface makes me feel like the author is more like a certain Eastern sage than a Western historian who likes to dissect and analyze. The book leads the reader to follow the history of the universe – earth and humanity along the time axis with a unique way of divergence: From the history of physics, to the history of chemistry, biology and finally The same is cultural history with 4 titles and 4 chapters: Rebels in the Prairie, Fictional Masters, Sex, Lies and Caves, Intercontinental Murderers. A special narrative As a picture version, of course the book’s great appeal comes from its visual and vividness. However, not only that, the appeal and uniqueness of the work lies in many other things. Firstly, the text in the book is written very succinctly, easy to understand, and highly generalizable. Reading a sentence, the reader can imagine an era of hundreds of thousands of years, even billions of years. For example, it is easy to find in books statements or interpretations like this: “About 14 billion years ago, matter, energy, time, and space were formed in the event we call it. is the big bang – the Big Bang. The story of these fundamental properties of the universe is called physics”; “The story of atoms and molecules and their interactions is called chemistry”; “The Story of Creatures Called Biology”; “The process of human cultural development is called history”… A lot of the tangled messes of our perception have been compressed, rearranged in a concise and logical order. The work of Yuval Noah Harari was well received and debated by many readers. Photo: Omega Plus. Second, the history that appears here is not a cold and frozen “impersonal” history. In this picture book, there will be many people telling about history such as historian Yuval Noah Harari, professor – biologist Saraswati, professor Dunbar – expert on human communication, even detective. López. This narrative technique called “multi-tonal narrative” has recently been applied in many countries to primary school history textbooks to increase the book’s appeal. This narrative, academically shows that to understand history one needs a lot of experts in many different fields, but at the same time creates the appeal of the story being told as history is seen. from many sides. Third, the history told in this pictorial version is a “continuous dialogue between historian and history, between present past and future” as EH Car put it. It is the dialogue between historian Yuval Harari and Zoe – a curious teenager curious; the dialogue of professors like Yuval Harari with archaeological evidence such as tools, fossils, relics left in the ground, between professors and the public in seminars, between present – past – future such as the trial of the Sapiens genocide of large mammals and the current threat of destroying the ecosystem of humans… The narrative style always changes the point of view from the present to the past, then from the past to reflect and relate to the present and future. Those are the journeys through time of modern people to many different times, on many different lands, making readers not feel tired. Harari has appeared in the book as a narrator who speaks directly to the reader. Finally, the humor. Humor makes the historical narrative charming and engaging. For example, when describing 6 human species that once existed on earth, with characteristics summarized on each portrait card, the authors described Homo Sapiens like this: “HOMO SAPIENS ANNUAL: THE FINALLY PEOPLE The human family 50,000 years ago. Location: anywhere, even on the moon Existence: 300,000 years ago to present. Probably going extinct before 2100. Characteristic: They think themselves wise above all else. Strengths: Good at crafting tools, from toothbrushes to intercontinental rockets. Weaknesses: Big ego. Or believe in nonsense.” Along with humor is the explanation, simile full of images. All of the above factors are mixed, reduced, and skillfully combined in the entire work, making it attractive to both adult readers and children over 13 years old.

Inside the tunnel under the house of Gary and Beth Machens Couple Gary and Beth Machens living in Alton, Illinois moved to a new home in December 2020. But until recently, during repairs they suddenly discovered a tunnel from the 19th century just below their house. Gary Machens said he had to remove part of the stone wall on the sidewalk for repairs and then he discovered the entrance to a tunnel. Beth Machens said: “He called me at work and told me I quickly arranged to go home right away because he just found something I would never have imagined.” The tunnel is about 2.7 meters high and at least 18 meters deep. The landlord contacted the local authorities. Historians in the area estimate that the tunnel was built in 1840, about 50 years before the house was built, but they have not determined the original purpose of this underground structure. The archway of the tunnel was built of limestone, while the walls were made of bricks, the floors were mostly earth and stone with many pieces of wood scattered throughout the passage. According to the Landmark Historical Association, the tunnel is a unique and impressive work. There are already a few tunnels around the Alton area. “Maybe the old days used the tunnel as a bank or underground railway. There is no concrete evidence of these but there is a ferry in the Alton area to the Missouri side,” said Gary Machens. According to Gary Machens, the house was originally designed by architect Lucas Pfeiffenberger, the 25th mayor of Alton. He built the house for Captain Henry Brueggeman, who would later become the 27th mayor of Alton. In the 1920s, the house was owned by William H. Neerman, a carpet dealer in Alton. Paul Lenz, another Alton mayor, lived in the house many years later. Machens said: “The three former mayors of Alton used to live in this house many years ago. I don’t know if any of them know this. The house was built in 1890, the tunnel could be made from. year 1840. No one knows what the tunnel was for, but it certainly took a lot of hours of labor and the effort of a lot of people.We have a map of the area in 1863 but this house was not there at the time. There are also no other houses on the property. ” A lover of history, Machens said he wants to keep the mysteries of the past and present. The Machens hope to preserve the tunnel, and if the city or someone else helps with logistics and costs, the couple will open tours for visitors.

Astronaut Yuri Gagarin becomes the first person to fly into space. Photo: history.com

On April 12, 1961, the Vostok spacecraft carrying astronaut Gagarin was launched from Baikonour Space Airport in Kazakhstan, then part of the Soviet Union. The flight lasted just 108 minutes when the ship completed one orbit of the Earth and returned. Since then astronaut Gagarin also became a legend, and the day he took his flight became Russia’s Astronaut Day.

The historian Alexander Zheleznyakov called this a moment that gave humanity a firm conviction that discovering another world outside of the vast universe was entirely within reach. The event has made such a deep impression that the 27-year-old astronaut’s “Poekhali” has become a symbolic catchphrase for the Russian people throughout the years to come.

After 60 years, astronaut Yuri Gagarin, still mentioned as a hero of the nation. Every year, many Russian people still come to place flowers at his memorial sites across the country on April 12. Historian Vyacheslav Klimentov calls Gagarin’s miracle an inspiration to unite all Russians.

Not only loved by courage and ingenuity, Yuri Gagarin is also a shining example, a symbol of success rising from difficulties. Gagarin grew up in a working family, whose parents were carpenters and peasants. He initially studied steelmaking before being recruited to pilot the Soviet army and, at the age of 27, became the first person to fly into space.

While Gagarin was honored, the Vostok spacecraft was also put on display at the Space Travel Foundation in Moscow. Here, on April 13, there will also be an exhibition about Gagarin’s life and career, with many artifacts such as Gagarin’s documents, photos and personal belongings, from when he was a child or when he was still sitting. school chair.

Up to now, Gagarin’s flight has always been referred to as national pride for each Russian, a symbol of the Soviet Union’s power in the aerospace field. Four years before Gagarin’s flight, on October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union was also the first country in the world to put a satellite in orbit on Earth – the Sputnik satellite. Until now, the world still considered the first two “beep-beep” signals Sputnik sent to Earth triggered a race between the Soviet Union and the United States in the space field. .

In the years that followed, Russia always took the lead when Gagarin successfully flew his flight, or the fact that the astronaut Alexei Leonov became the first person to step into space and the fact that Russia was the first country to launch. the lunar probe was launched in 1966. However, three years later, the United States became the first country to send a man to the Moon.

Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft carrying three astronauts off the launch pad at Baikonur Space Airport, Kazakhstan, April 9, 2021. Photo: AFP / VNA

Over the past 60 years, Russia has maintained its leading position in space exploration, steadily sending astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). However, observers assess that Russia is competing with strong competitors such as the US and China in the race to develop space technology. In 2020, Russia loses its monopoly on human launchers on the ISS when US tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Space X Company develops and successfully put into use reusable missile systems, put astronauts the US Aerospace Agency (NASA) successfully landed on the ISS. Although the director of the Russian Aerospace Agency (Roscosmos) Dmitry Rogozin insists the agency is pursuing ambitious projects such as a mission to Venus, Mars or setting up a space station on the Moon, the Industry insiders still see this as a difficult time for Russia as competitors emerge increasingly strong.

However, the Russian people still believe in future success when looking at the historical fact that this country always appears at memorable times in human history. Not only has an influence in the aerospace field, Russia has made its mark on the historic arena with great inventions such as the AK-47 rifle, the hypersonic weapons or most recently, the COVID vaccine. -19 world’s first Sputnik-V.