A Ton of Crap (13 page)

Attila the Hun
In 432, the Huns became centralized under the leadership of one ruler, Rua. Two years later, Rua died and his throne was passed on to his two nephews: Bleda and Attila. In 445, Attila killed his brother, taking complete control of the government and the Huns. Under Attila’s reign, the Huns defeated and conquered several rivals and made several attacks on the Roman Empire. Attila was one of the most feared rulers of the time.

THE ALPHABET

The Latin Alphabet
The Latin alphabet, or the Roman alphabet, was taken from the Greek alphabet and then modified by the Etruscans and Romans. The Latin alphabet consisted of twenty-one letters: A, B, C, D, E, F, Z, H, I, K, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, V, X. This was the alphabet used when writing Latin, and as the Roman Empire spread, so too did the language and the letters. As the Romance languages started to evolve, the languages adapted with these letters.

GREEK MATHEMATICS

The Sophist School
The Sophist School was founded in Athens around 480 b.c. For a long time, the Sophists were the only source of higher education in cities. The Sophist School placed emphasis on using abstract reasoning to understand the universe. The Sophists applied math to try to solve problems such as how to double a cube, square a circle, and trisect an angle with just a compass and a straight edge.

THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

White Blood Cells
White blood cells fight germs. During an infection, the body produces more white blood cells, which will then try to attack and destroy the infection. When someone is prescribed an antibiotic, it is because the white blood cells need help fighting off the infection.

ITALIAN

Harder Consonants
These consonants are different than the ones you previously learned about. In Italian, some consonants have two different pronunciations depending on the letter before it. When a
c
is followed by an
a
,
o
,
u
, or a consonant, it is pronounced with a “k” sound, such as in the word
cat
. If it is followed by an
e
or an
i
, it is pronounced with a “ch” sound. If a
g
is followed by an
a
,
o
,
u
, or a consonant, it is pronounced like it is in the word
get
. If it is followed by an
e
or and
i
, it is pronounced with a “j” sound, like in the word
gym
.

THE HUNS

After Attila
Upon Attila’s death, Ellac, one of his sons, overcame his two brothers and became ruler of the Huns. However, former subjects of Attila began to revolt and united under Ardaric, the ruler of the Gepids. The Huns would fight Ardaric’s men in the Battle of Nedao in 454, and lose, ending their supremacy over Europe.

THE ALPHABET

Old English Alphabet
The first alphabet for the English language was the
Anglo-Saxon futhorc runic alphabet of the fifth century. It was used by the Anglo-
Saxons in what is now England. In the seventh century, Christian missionaries introduced the Latin alphabet to the Anglo-Saxons, and over time, the Latin alphabet began incorporating some of the Anglo-Saxon futhorc alphabet into it. The Old English alphabet was made up of twenty-four letters from the Latin alphabet and five letters from the English alphabet.

GREEK MATHEMATICS

The Platonic School
The Platonic School was founded in 387 b.c. by one of the most famous Greek philosophers: Plato. And though he was not a mathematician, Plato placed great emphasis on mathematics. The most significant mathematical achievements were done by Plato’s pupils at this time, and the school was heavily influenced by the work of Pythagoras.

THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

The Aorta and Arterial System
The aorta is the largest artery in the body. It originates from the left ventricle and distributes the oxygenated blood. From the aorta, the blood is then sent to the other arteries and arterioles, which are small arteries that deliver oxygen and nutrients to all of the cells in your body. At the end of the arterioles are capillaries, which pass the blood through the venous system.

ITALIAN

Articles
Just like the other Romance languages, nouns in Italian must have a gender and number associated with them.

There are two masculine articles. The first row is used for a masculine noun that begins with a consonant, unless that word starts with a
z
or begins with
s
and another consonant. In those cases, you use the second row of masculine articles.

THE HUNS