In "The Borgias", Season 3, Episode 1, the second Borgia pope, Rodrigo Borgia or Pope Alexander VI, is cured of poisoning by the forced ingestion of activated charcoal.
The first attestation of the use of activated charcoal that I could find was 1834. ("Activated Charcoal--Past, Present and Future", Drs Derlet and Albertson. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1306980/?page=1)
Does anyone know of an earlier reference?
Edit: for the correct episode
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Having been called this many a time when I venture down to the states I was wondering since the U.S was allied with them in WWII and such?
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Wouldnt it be easier to just use even numbers like 150, 40 and 75mm?
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In a recent thread there was some debate as to whether it is appropriate, or helpful to contribute previous threads as an answer to a newly asked question. From my perspective both sides seems to bring up valid points.
On the one hand it is expected that many people either improperly, or flat out don't search for their question to see if it's already been adequately answered. Obviously re-answering questions that have been properly addressed isn't in the best interests of this sub. In addition, some pointed out that those older threads can be used by those contributing in the thread to further the discussion.
On the other hand just posting previous answers can have the effect of stifling conversation. When an older example is given it can very well lead some people to just skip over furthering discussion. This being the internet, it is easy to see how one could perceive these posts as carrying a tone of "this has already been addressed in finality" while, as others have stated, they mean it to be just a further jumping off point.
While both arguments have merit, I must say I stand behind others being able to post these previous answers. What I personally find issue with is that these posts often contain no context, merely a link. It seems that while in most situations just posting a link is discouraged, these posts are allowed to exist with merely a link and usually something along the lines of "this has already been asked" added at the end.
I feel that, if people are going to be posting links to previous threads they should be adding context or direct links to comments (perhaps with ?context=# added) for what part of the thread relates to the subject matter at hand. Often times these older posts are inadequate at answering the new question, or don't cover the full scope of the question. At the very least the double standard of "just posting a link" should be addressed.
Other's thoughts on the situation?
Edit: I hope nobody takes this as a personal affront. I can't say I've ever had any personal complaints regarding flair'd posters. I feel my original subject would benefit from being reworded "merely posting".
2nd Edit: For clarification purposes, the post that people were debating in the thread I linked was
"There's been at least one thread on this in the past. There may be others.
I am not claiming this is a norm from dedicated posters here, nor am I claiming no former links should never be posted. The rules of this sub state that one should "Please take some time to put the links in context for the person asking the question." The caveat being that, before that, it states "Do not just post links to other sites as an answer." (emphasis is mine)
Should these links not have context as well? This comment is by no means the only one of its kind. Does it violate the rules of the subreddit? No one is claiming a lack of professionalism from the flair'd users of this subreddit (as most of these posts seem to be addressing thus far), but the fact is that content is not solely provided by users with flair. Should an exception be made or not?
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Every (?) country uses the same 24hr, 60min, 60sec standard (unless I'm mistaken), but all other measurements can vary among regions, such as distance, temperature, etc. When and why did time become universally standardized?
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I've seen George Washington always in the top 3 for lists of the best presidents in the U.S. (Usually only behind Abraham Lincoln and FDR) and even on world wide leaders, while I know he was a fantastic general but what did he do during his presidency (Not his contributions during the Revolutionary War) that makes him so great?
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I know that Django Unchained is not meant to be a faithful look at American history, but this really sticks out to me. "Big Daddy", the cordial Tennessee slaveowner, at one point seeks to apprehend two characters, so he confronts them with a rifle and a mob of enslaved persons, with five or six of them having guns. Two white overseers have guns as well, but the vast majority of the armed mob is African American.
Would a slaveowner have ever chosen to arm his slaves? Are there records of that happening? Wouldn't a slaveowner realize the danger he would put himself in, if he gave five of his slaves rifles?
3 Answers 2014-01-08
I was reading an article on Wikipedia and came across a picture of "the Czech (formerly Czechoslovak) embassy in Berlin". Right next to this section of the article. I then wondered: did they split up the embassies between the countries? If so, how, and if not, what did they do instead?
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In the sense of people who would probably have a clinical diagnosis of sociopathy; whose actions or accounts of their personalities suggests this kind of disorder?
I understand as historical records blur with time, we may not have the detail or insight into their day-to-day lives, but I can't imagine sociopathy is a recent phenomenon, and there must have been some successful ones in history.
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So I read Zinn's A People's History quite a while back (I know his book is polarizing here), but I am trying to recall some quotes he cites and I can't find them in the book this time around. I recall him referencing a least once a figure of the revolution essentially warning against 'tyranny' of the majority or even specifically regarding property. I'm really wracking my brain to halfway reproduce the quote. I believe it was one of the Adam's and it might have been in reference in the revolution being taken to far by the lower class and the fears surrounding upper class property.
I'm very sorry this was all so vague but I am having trouble locating my whits tonight... but I know this is a fairly popular quote!
Thanks everyone!
Edit: I also just thought of another quote that I'm sure everyone interested in American History is familiar with. The previous quote in question (now identified) and the following seem to go together in my mind often, when I can remember..
"Landholders ought to have a share in the government, to support these invaluable interests, and to balance and check the other. They ought to be so constituted as to protect the minority of the opulent against the majority. The senate, therefore, ought to be this body; and to answer these purposes, they ought to have permanency and stability."-James Madison
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I always think of it as "The Allies" vs "The Axis Powers". But did the axis powers call themselves the allies and us something else? I was hoping someone could clear this up.
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Specifically, what areas of the US' activities did the Soviet government choose to target with their propaganda, and how effective was it? I know that the United States' presence in Vietnam was a big one -- were there any other standouts besides the usual ideological conflict?
Thanks!
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During the American Civil War, the major disadvantage that the South had to the North was their lack of food growing farms, because basically the entire region was dedicated to producing cotton. So, why is it that when the South invaded the North, they pushed northwards into Maryland and Pennsylvania instead of trying to capture the corn and wheat producing states in the Midwest?
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I imagine that they'd drop it and use a different hand weapon, but I just got really curious after playing more Mount and Blade and running riot with a lance.
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