Showing results by author "iMinds" in All Categories

Learn about the beauty of Yellowstone National Park with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series.

Steaming rivers, stone forests, and bubbling lava are a daily occurrence at Yellowstone National Park. It's the oldest national park in the world and is renowned for its pristine nature and extreme climates. Nowhere else in America can you take a vacation where you drive by a herd of buffalo, watch boiling water shoot into the sky, and feel the slight tremour of earthquakes below your feet.

A meteorite is a mass of stone or metal which has reached the earth's surface from outer space. There are various names for a meteorite depending on where it is situated. While it is traveling in space, it is referred to as a "meteoroid". When it passes through the earth's atmosphere and produces a fiery streak in the sky, known as a "shooting star", it is called a "meteor".

The French Revolution came about because of a long-held displeasure at how the rich lived. While the rich lived comfortably, the common people were forced to pay taxes too high for them to pay. And there was not enough food produced for them to eat. French peasants became so impoverished that visitors to France said many of them were as skinny as skeletons.

Learn about Armistice Day with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. Armistice Day is a day put aside to commemorate the ceasefire which effectively ended the "Great War", as World War One was previously known.

Learn about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. In 1997, a Californian man named Charles Moore was sailing home from Hawaii after competing in a boat race. On a whim, he decided to change course and head through a part of the eastern Pacific Ocean known as the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Known to seafarers as "the doldrums", this is an area of light or no wind and little boat traffic.

Epidemics are important to us as humans because they affect our very survival. Knowing what they are and how to control them have been of interest to us for centuries. A simple explanation of the difference between an epidemic and a pandemic would be to say that an epidemic is the large-scale transmission of an illness, whereas a pandemic is an epidemic that spreads across several countries.

Learn about inflation with iMinds Money's insightful fast knowledge series. Inflation is the increase in the general price of goods and services brought about through either an increase in the amount of money in circulation or by an increase in costs. Historically, inflation often occurred due to the acquisition of new gold deposits. For example, inflation occurred in Europe when Europeans brought back gold from their new American colonies in the Early Modern period.

Learn about securitization with iMinds Money's insightful fast knowledge series. Securitization as a financial term has evolved over the decades, as different methods and products have developed from the process. At a basic level, securitization is the process of taking an illiquid asset, or a group of relatively homogenous assets, and through financial engineering, transforming them into a security. The assets are pooled together and repackaged into a single security, which is then sold to investors.

William Shakespeare is one of the most famous writers of all time. But little is known about the life of this playwright and poet.What we do know is that Shakespeare was born in 1564 in a town in the west of England called Stratford-Upon-Avon. His father, John Shakespeare, was a glove-maker who was also on the local council.

Become a Specialist with iMinds Specialist Series. Have a particular interest? Recognize gaps in your knowledge? iMinds Specialist works across each of our 12 categories bringing you targeted information to broaden your mind. Crime, War & Conflict, Volume 1 looks at the history of the D-Day Invasion, the story and context of the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Battle of Waterloo, the importance of Armistice Day, the history of the Spanish Inquisition, and the role of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

According to most economics textbooks, human beings are super-rational creatures who know what is in their own best interests and always act accordingly. When making a decision to purchase, the rational consumer would not buy something on the spur of the moment, or on the recommendation of a friend. Sound realistic?

Learn about hedge funds with iMinds Money's insightful fast knowledge series. A hedge fund is a type of investment structure for managing a private, unregistered investment pool. Within this investment portfolio the fund manager is permitted to use a number of higher risk investment strategies. Although a wide range of strategies are used the most common is long/short equity. This was the strategy used by the first hedge fund in the United States in 1949 and is still the most popular today.

Continue learning and supplement your iMinds Collection with Generalist, Volume 5. A compilation of diverse topics across our 12 categories, in Generalist, Volume 5 you will learn about: the story of Robin Hood; the history of Armistice Day; the story of the Last Supper; the signing of the Magna Carta; Descartes' Eternal Truths; the condition of Hemophilia; the curse of the Hope Diamond; the life of John F Kennedy; and more.

Learn the history of the Magna Carta with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. Magna Carta: the great document has become synonymous with the power of the people. A medieval English charter of 63 clauses, it has become one of the most famous legal documents in history. Those who wrote the American Declaration of Independence claimed to have been inspired by it.

Learn the history of the Spanish Inquisition with iMinds insightful audio knowledge series. The Spanish Inquisition was a governing authority started by the crown in the late-15th century. It included a network of spies who worked across the state to ensure Spaniards conformed to the accepted behaviour of traditional Catholic subjects. t was relentless in ensuring Catholic orthodoxy within Spain. But why was Spain so self-conscious in ensuring a singular religious identity?

In this volume, you will learn about: the New Wave film movement, the development of ponzi schemes, the life of Mahatma Gandhi, the crimes of Jack the Ripper, the debate over nature vs nurture, the phrase "15 minutes of fame", the development of immunisation, the incredible Yellowstone National Park, the fast and furious sport of polo, the elements of sharia law, the history and context of the apartheid policy, and the mysterious disappearance of the crew of the Mary Celeste.

Confucius was a Chinese philosopher, teacher, and political figure. His teachings have profoundly influenced Asian thought and life. The impact of his life and intellectual ideas have changed human history and it can be argued that he is the most influential philosopher who ever lived.

Uluru is the indigenous Australian name for an enormous rock formation found in central Australia. Made from sandstone, Uluru is a rock monolith or an ‘island mountain’, a formation that geologists refer to as a monadnock. It stands 318 m (986 ft) high and has a circumference of 8 km (5 miles). It is located 335 km (208 mi) south west of the nearest rural centre, the large town of Alice Springs.

Learn about Antitrust Laws with iMinds Money's insightful fast knowledge series. Competition is an essential part of the free market. The competition between participants in the market promotes efficiency. This occurs as the supply of a product is improved to provide more attractive prices than a competitor can offer. Competition also drives innovation, as producers develop superior products and services to gain the favour of buyers.

Learn about Mutual Funds with iMinds Money's insightful fast knowledge series. A mutual fund is an investment vehicle that allows a group of investors to pool their money, allowing a professional to collectively trade securities on their behalf in exchange for a small fee. The pooled funds are used to purchase a diverse range of assets and provide a return to the investor.