Trebuchet

In the year 1066, after William the conqueror established his rule over England, he built many castles. The first few castles ever made were made as a form of defense against anyone attacking and were a symbol of power for the people living there. After a few years these castles started to evolve in terms of shape, location, substance and reason. The first castles were mainly made from timber. This was a great disadvantage as the castle could be burnt very easily and could simply be broken down…

One day machines will take over the world, or so that man on the corner of the sidewalk says every day. Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines machine as, “a piece of equipment with moving parts that do work when given power.” Machine describes many of the devices that we keep with us every single day like cell phones, computers, televisions, and cars. However, there was a simpler time when the word machine meant any structure. (Simpson 156) The word machine has developed from a…

Many people have to live through war and endure loss. While living through the French Civil War and dealing with loss, Victor Hugo helped to define the romantic movement in France through his writing. His works include many poems, books, and plays revolving around love and politics. Many of his works were either published or performed during his life. While Victor Hugo is known for his many works during the romantic movement, he wrote his most famous works around the time of the French Civil War…

Joseph Needham’s The Grand Titration: Science and Society in East and West seeks to answer the question of why modern science developed in the Western world and not in China. He answers this question by “titrating,” or essentially comparing, scientific and technological advancements between China and the West. To conduct his comparison, he investigates the relationship, in both civilizations, between science and a variety of topics. The topics that Needham covers include politics, economics,…

Who really was Genghis Khan? Was he just an emperor of Mongolia who didn 't deserve his spot, was he the first person to come close to world domination, or was he just a man trying to enjoy his life? One may think that Genghis Khan was a brutal murderer who cared about nothing but his empire but many don 't see that he was a ruler its his job to be vicious and take care of his empire and expand even if it means killing 11% of the world population or 40 million people. Many also don 't know about…

Back when castle's first begun to be built, there were many different options that were took into consideration during their construction. They would look into housing for the noble family but there was also a retinue of servants, specialists, and tradesmen that lived in the castle also. They also considered the location of the castle, to make sure it's in a good city but also that it's architecture will help put it in a good position to defend itself. The reason the architecture was so…

Nowadays, we think of knights being great soldiers and good people, but this is not the case, as they were arrogant jerks that would not listen to commands given to them. Knights were well trained, highly experienced warriors of the feudal system. Feudalism was a very effective system that fit the needs of all classes during the middle ages. Knights are the men that fight for the feudal system and were born by its many oaths and agreements. Feudalism was an effective system that met the needs of…

The trebuchet could knock down the large castles forming around Europe, but soldiers still were under equipped. This was alleviated with gun powder from trade in China. Gunpowder led to the musket a weapon although rudimentary by modern standards could be given…

A crusader, clad in thick leather armour, branded with a red cross, charges forward towards the Muslim army, which is defending their city of Jerusalem. War cries sound from both armies as a bloodbath is about to ensue. The crusader uses his The Middle ages were an era of brutal power struggles that would form the modern world. The First Crusade was a Christian attempt at regaining Jerusalem, the Holy Land. It stemmed further than this, however. Pope Urban II had heard word that Christians were…

We were able to create various contraptions including a trebuchet and an underwater, ball-retrieving robot, participate in psychology discussions and activities, and get to know graduate students from engineering schools and ask them about engineering-related topics. From this experience, I learned that leaders…