850 



THE CENTURY BOOK OF FACTS. 



planets have not been observed since their dis- 

 covery, and are practically lost. Consequently 

 it is now sometimes a matter of doubt, until 

 the elements have been computed, if the sup- 

 posed new planet is really new, or only an old 

 one rediscovered. 



It is supposed that a Centauri, one of the 

 brightest stars of the Southern Hemisphere, is 

 the nearest of the fixed stars to the earth. 

 The researches on its parallax by Henderson 

 and Maclear gave it for its distance from the 

 earth, in round numbers, 20,000,000,000,000 

 of miles. At the inconceivably rapid rate at 

 which light is propagated through space, it 

 would require three years and three months to 

 reach the earth from this star. 



Some Interesting Dates. FRUITS, 

 FLOWERS, ETC. The cherry dates back to 



A. D. 100 ; the lily, 800 ; jasmine, 1500 ; mul- 

 berry, 1520 ; mignonette, 1528 ; the plum, 

 1530 ; geranium, 1534 ; gooseberry, 1540 ; 

 melons, 1540 ; hyssop, 1548 ; pomegranate, 

 1548; lemon, 1554; peach, 1562; carnation, 

 1567; pink, 1567; lavender, 1568; pineap- 

 ple, 1568 ; quince, 1573 ; tulip, 1578 ; oleander, 

 1600 ; Virginia creeper, 1629 ; black walnut, 

 1629; hickory nut, 1640; nectarine, 1652; 

 honeysuckle, 1656 ; sassafras, 1663 ; hawthorn, 

 1683; passion flower, 1692; raspberry, 1696; 

 foxglove, 1696 ; currant, 1705 ; snowdrop, 

 1756 ; chrysanthemum, 1790 ; dahlia, 1803 ; 

 camellia, 1811 ; petunia, 1823 ; verbena, 1827 ; 

 fuchsia, 1835. 



FOODS AND COOKERY. Forks first used, 

 1220 ; sugar in Europe, 1250 ; first English 

 cook book, 1498 ; cabbages, 1510 ; turkeys, 

 1523 ; guinea fowl, 1540 ; potatoes, 1565 ; 

 cauliflower, 1603 ; tea, 1610 ; cattle imported 

 to America, 1611 ; coffee, 1616 ; bread made 

 with yeast, 1634 ; rice, 1690 ; celery, 1704 ; 

 ice cream, 1760 ; United States fish culture, 

 1804 ; Liebig's extract, 1847 ; condensed milk, 

 1849; food adulteration act, 1854; aerated 

 bread, 1856 ; cooking schools, 1873. 



FUEL AND LIGHT Wood fuel, prehistoric ; 

 charcoal, B. C. 1800 ; oil lamps, B. C. 1000 ; 

 wax candles, B. C. 200 ; peat, B. C. 60 ; rush 

 lights, A. D. 1300 ; coal gas, 1739 ; Davy's 

 safety lamp, 1802 ; sperm candles, 1811 ; par- 

 affine, 1825 ; petroleum, 1859 ; natural gas, 

 1870 ; water gas, 1873 ; electric heating, 1876 ; 

 incandescent electric light, 1878. 



THE WORLD'S CLOTHING Spinning and 

 weaving and dyeing are prehistoric. The 

 peplon, or long cloak, was worn in Greece, 



B. C. 600; Tyrian purple dye used, B. C. 

 600-300; Roman toga worn, B. C. 250-A. D. 

 100; breeches worn by the Scythians, B. C. 

 550 ; kilts and trews worn by the Celts, B. C. 

 100; figured weaving in Italy, A. D. 100- 



1000 ; Dutch and Flemish weaving, A. D. 1100 ; 

 silk weaving at Palermo, A. D. 1146 ; linen 

 cloth made in England, 1253 ; English wool 

 trade flourished from A. D. 1337 ; Brabant 

 looms brought to England, 1340 ; linen shirts 

 in common use, 1560; silkworms brought to 

 France, 1600; felt in common use, 1610; fly 

 shuttles, 1738 ; calico printing, 1764 ; spin- 

 ning jenny, 1767 ; carding machine, 1770 ; 

 mule, 1779 ; power loom, 1785 ; cotton gin, 

 1791 ; shoddy, 1813 ; sewing machine. 1841 ; 

 silkworm disease, 1854 ; rubber coats, 1875 ; 

 electric looms, 1889. 



Specific Gravity of Substances. A 

 gallon of water or wine weighs 10 Ibs., and 

 this is taken as the basis of the following ta- 

 ble : 



Spectacles and Reading Glasses were 

 unknown to the ancients. They are generally 

 supposed to have been invented in the thir- 

 teenth century by Alexander de Spina, a monk 

 of Florence in Italy, about A. D. 1285.' Ac- 

 cording to Dr. Plott they were invented by Rogei 

 Bacon, about 1280. Manni attributes them to 

 Salvino, who died in 1317. 



Spinning 1 Wheel. The invention of the 

 art of spinning was ascribed by the ancients 

 to Minerva, the Goddess of Wisdom. It is 

 said that Areas, the King of Arcadia, taught 

 his subjects the art about 1500 B. C. The use 

 of the spindle and distaff, however, was known 

 in Egypt even earlier than this, as is shown by 

 pictures upon Egyptian monuments. The dis- 

 taff was a simple stick, around which the fiber 



