To play the Knowledge Adventure Challenge, choose a level of difficulty from the buttons to the right. A question will be displayed in this window. Then begin searching for the screen that answers the question. Every time you use the globe, the timeline, or any other method of interaction with Knowledge Adventure, your score will increase.
It will keep increasing until you get to the screen that answers the question. Try to keep your score as low as possible.
If you need help, return to this screen and select the Hint button. This will cost you some points, though!
When you land on the right screen, Knowledge Adventure will let you know!X Exit - Salida - Sortie
If you really want to quit your current adventure press Quit, otherwise press Cancel.
Bach: The Musical Craftsman
1685-1750 AD
ARNSTADT, GERMANY
Lutheran church-goers in Arnstadt, Germany, were not pleased when their organist took a leave of absence in 1704.
Young Johann Sebastian Bach stayed away four times longer than expected, failed to rehearse the church choir, and on his return, the congregation noticed he was adding strange variations to familiar hymns.
Bach, who had been studying with master organist Dietrich Buxtehude, eventually resigned, but it was hardly the end of his career.
Born into the fifth of seven generations of musical Bachs, Johann became one of the world's greatest musical geniuses, defining the German baroque musical period. His output was so huge that it would take a lifetime merely to copy everything he wrote.
His masterpieces, among them the "B minor Mass" and the "St. Matthew Passion," are performed regularly more than 200 years after his death. "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," is still one of the most familiar of all choral works.
Bach was the sixth child of J. Ambrosius Bach, born in 1685 at Eisenach, Germany, in the shadow of the castle where Martin Luther had been held prisoner. He took violin and viola lessons from his father at an early age and when his parents died he went to live with his brother, who introduced him to the organ.
In 1707 Bach married his cousin, Maria Bach. They had seven children of whom Wilhelm and Carl also became famous musicians.
During his career, Bach served as court organist at Weimar, Germany, chamber musician and concertmaster to the Grand Duke Wilhelm Ernst, chapel master to Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cothen and cantor of St. Thomas' Church. He thought of himself as an artisan, making music much as a tailor makes clothing or a cobbler turns out shoes.
Music and religion were synonymous to Bach. "Music," he said, "should have no other aim than the glory of God and the recreation of the soul."
Bach also had a sense of humor, which occasionally comes through some of his musical compositions, including the "Coffee Cantata," which satirized the then-new European fashion for coffee drinking.
Bach died in 1750 with his greatest works unpublished. During his lifetime he was known as an organ virtuoso but was more celebrated as the father of illustrious musicians than as a master in his own right.
His compositions might have been undervalued were it not for a handful of biographers and admirers who kept his work before the eyes of the musical world. Composer Felix Mendelssohn, who studied Bach's scores, produced the "St. Matthew Passion" in Berlin in 1829, reigniting interest in his work. A Singular Big Bang
15 billion BC
Most scientists believe the universe began from a "singularity," an impossible-to-imagine point so small that it had no size at all. Then that point, which they think contained everything that there is in the universe -- matter, energy, and even time and space -- exploded with an enormous rush.
Scientists don't know what caused this point to explode in a "Big Bang" about 15 billion years ago, and they don't know what -- if anything -- existed before the bang occurred, or even if there was a "before" before it happened.
So-called "black holes" are believed to be similar to this singularity except that they contain far less of the universe. Black holes are believed to be collapsed stars of such density and gravitational strength that once caught, nothing -- not even light -- can escape their pull.
Scientists believe that as the Big Bang, which started the universe, exploded outward in a blaze of energy, the universe was blown up like a child blows up a balloon.
But as it expanded -- and continues to expand -- the universe rapidly cooled and some of the energy condensed into tiny particles. Then an unexplained phenomenon called electromagnetic force began pulling these tiny particles together into hydrogen atoms.
Gravity, another mysterious force, caused more and more atoms to gather together. The larger these clouds of atoms, the stronger the gravitational force became, until the gravity squeezed the atoms so hard that it sparked a nuclear reaction and the clouds became huge balls of fire -- the first stars.
These stars burned at tremendously high temperatures as their hydrogen atoms joined to form helium atoms in a process called fusion. Small stars can burn like this for billions of years, until they run out of hydrogen. Then they cool down and collapse, becoming white dwarfs. But the largest stars burn up much more quickly, then collapse inward, fusing their atoms together into heavier elements. Finally they explode into supernovas, scattering new atoms of copper, gold, uranium and many other elements into the surrounding galaxy.HCrazy Ivan's Cathedral
1555 AD
MOSCOW, RUSSIA
To celebrate his victory over the Tartars in 1555, Ivan the Terrible of Russia ordered the construction of a cathedral in Moscow. When it was finished in about 1560, he heartily congratulated the two architects who designed the building -- then had their eyes gouged out. He wanted to make sure they would never again design anything so beautiful.
Though it is uncertain if this story is true, it would be just the sort of thing Ivan might have done during one of his periods of insanity. Though a capable and fair ruler when he was sane, his periods of cruel insanity became increasingly common as his reign progressed.
Ivan's cathedral, called the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed, is an odd building located in Red Square in Moscow. It is made up of nine onion-domed and interconnected chapels, the larger dome representing Jesus and the nine smaller domes representing nine of Ivan's victories. The whole complex is painted a fruit-salad display of bright colors.
Since Russian Christianity comes from the Eastern Orthodoxy of Byzantium (Constantinople), Russia's church architecture also has its origins there.
Like Byzantine churches, Russian churches feature domes, but while the Byzantine churches had only a few domes (often five, with one large one symbolizing Jesus Christ and four smaller domes representing the writers of the four biographies of Jesus in the New Testament), some early Russian churches had as many as 13 domes (the main dome representing Jesus and the other 12 representing his 12 apostles).
Also, while the Byzantine churches featured round-topped domes, the Russians built churches with pointed domes on tall towers, along with sharply-sloped roofs and narrow windows, perhaps to shed snow and minimize heat loss during the cold winters.
The asymetric design of St. Basil's Cathedral, along with its wide variety of patterns and colors (red, orange yellow, green, blue, violet, gold and silver) once led people to consider it a barbaric and ridiculous piece of architecture. But today, it is generally considered a stunning example of Russian church architecture.∙Storehouses of Knowledge
c300 BC
ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT
Welcome to the Knowledge Adventure Library! You can use the card catalog in the library to find any topic you wish.
Just click on the card catalog drawer containing the topic you want to find, then click on the topic itself. Knowledge Adventure will take you right to a screen on that topic.
Though electronic libraries are new, other types of libraries have been around for ages. One of the earliest libraries was a collection of about 10,000 clay tablets discovered in Nineveh (an ancient city in what is now Iraq) during an archaeological excavation in 1850.
But perhaps the greatest storehouses of knowledge in the ancient world were the great libraries at Alexandria, Egypt. These libraries were greatly expanded by Ptolemy Philadelphus, the son of one of Alexander the Great's generals and the ruler of Egypt. They were frequented by many great scholars from throughout the Mediterranean world.
The Alexandrian libraries held a huge collection of volumes from throughout the Hellenistic world. Various estimates put the collection at anywhere from 400,000 to 700,000 volumes.
But as Alexandria declined in political importance, it appears the libraries also declined, and in 640 AD were completely destroyed in a fire of unknown origin.?Da Vinci: A Scientist-Artist
1507 AD
MILAN, ITALY
One of the greatest painters of history was almost as much scientist as he was artist.
Leonardo da Vinci observed nature in the meticulous manner of a scientist. He examined rocks, hills, plants and animals -- and especially people. As a young man, he would even gather friends and tell jokes so he could watch their expressions.
While living in Florence, Italy, he painted a portrait of Lisa del Giocondo, the young wife of a Florentine merchant. He worked on the portrait for four years, capturing her natural appearance and subtle half-smile. This "Mona Lisa," completed in 1507, became one of his most famous paintings.
On the wall of a Milan monastery is another of Da Vinci's famous works, the "Last Supper." It depicts Jesus and his disciples at the Passover meal just after he has said that one of them would betray him.
Though Da Vinci is best known as an artist, he was also was knowledgeable about astronomy, anatomy, botany and geology. During his last years he sketched hundreds of inventions, including a model for a helicopter-like flying machine.
{Well-Protected Mona
1505 AD
PARIS, FRANCE
The most famous painting in the world is undoubtedly Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, also known as "La Gioconda."
The picture was purchased by French King Francis I and was placed in the Louvre in Paris. Now it is behind thick glass to protect it from vandalism.
Applying paint in thin layers that almost make the painting glow, Leonardo somehow captured the character of his subject, Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of a Florentine businessman.
Her smile is the most intriguing part of the painting. It is one of the only smiles in the history of art to be described as "mysterious." Is it a fleeting smile captured by the artist, or a knowing, timeless, symbolic smile?
And the haunting, subtle smile is not something that Da Vinci accidentally captured on his canvas. He wanted it there. And to make sure it wouldn't fade, he had beautiful music played during the sittings.h"The Eagle Has Landed"
July 21, 1969
MOON, EARTH ORBIT
For centuries people dreamed of what it would be like to go to the moon. They imagined methods of getting there and strange lunar creatures. But on July 21, 1969, it really happened. Astronaut Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind," he said.
Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin landed on the moon in the Eagle lunar module. While on the surface they performed various experiments, planted a US flag and explored the area around their landing site. Meanwhile, Michael Collins orbited the moon in the Apollo 11 "Columbia" command module.
This great scientific accomplishment was prompted by a scare. In April 1961, Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space. Jolted by this Soviet accomplishment, the United States decided it must catch up.
And it did. Through a series of space programs, from the single seat Mercury capsules to the slightly larger two-man Gemini missions, and finally to the three-man Apollo spacecraft, America gradually obtained the expertise in space exploration necessary for a trip to the moon.
εPteranadon: Soaring Dinosaur
70 million BC
MIDWEST NORTH AMERICA
While most dinosaurs lived on the land or in the sea, the Pteranadon's element was the sky.
This huge bird-like creature had leathery wings that grew to as much as 23 feet wide, a sharp beak with no teeth, and a lightweight bony structure protruding from the rear of its head, whose purpose is still not fully understood, though some scientists think it may have been decorative and useful for attracting a mate, while others think it may have been a rudder to steady pteranadon in flight.
Scientists believe pteranadon soared at speeds up to 23 miles-per hour over the ocean in what is now Kansas and Texas, feeding on fish and mollusks. Perhaps, they believe, pteranadon had a pelican-like throat sack to carry its catch.
ⁿSaturn's Braided Rings
1980 AD
SATURN ORBIT
Scientists discovered centuries ago that the planet Saturn was circled by a ring, but little did they expect how many rings there were, or how strange some of those beautiful rings would turn out to be upon close examination.
In November 1980, the spacecraft Voyager 1 flew by Saturn and discovered that it has at least seven separate ring systems. Unexpectedly, it found that some of them were intertwined or "braided."
These rings, which may have been formed when the planet itself was formed or could have been created when an ancient moon strayed too close to Saturn's gravity and was ripped apart, are made of ice and dust fragments as small as sand or as large as a small house. The larger pieces tend to collide with one another and break into ever smaller pieces.
Whatever their origin, the discovery of braided rings around Saturn is a good illustration of how close examination often shows us how much more complex our physical world is than our initial observations would lead us to believe.Saturn has Ears?
1610 AD
SIXTH PLANET, SOLAR SYSTEM
Today you can walk into any toy store and buy a telescope for under five dollars that can magnify objects 40 times (40-power). That is more magnification than Galileo's telescope, a 32-power device that he used to make a curious discovery.
In 1610 Galileo turned his priceless instrument -- the best in the world at that time -- toward Saturn. He saw what appeared to be two small planets on either side of the main planet and concluded that "Saturn is not one alone, but is composed of three, which almost touch one another."
Later, Johannes Hevelius reported that Saturn seemed to have two fuzzy handles sticking out from its sides like ears.
While we might chuckle that scientists thought that Saturn might have ears, that is precisely what the ring system looked like with low-powered telescopes.
Progress in knowledge is sometimes dependent not on brilliant minds, but on precision instruments. Better telescopes and the Voyager spacecraft have been just such instruments to free our minds of foolish "facts." But, what "facts" of today will be the nonsense of the future?
In the case of Saturn, it was not until Christiaan Huygens invented a new method for grinding telescope lenses were telescopes powerful and accurate enough to present the true picture. By 1659, Huygens reported that "Saturn is surrounded by a thin, flat ring."
Actually, when Voyager 1 passed by the planet, it discovered that there are several rings, some in interesting shapes.
Saturn is larger than 800 Earths, and, like Jupiter, is made mostly of hydrogen. It is 889 million miles from the sun and takes 30 years to go once around the sun, but spins on its axis twice as fast as Earth. Because of its rapid rotation and low density, Saturn swells outward at its equator like a lump of pizza dough expands when tossed up and twirled. Though far from Earth, Saturn is not lonely. It has at least 23 moons, the largest of which is Titan.
Until 1781, when Uranus was discovered, Saturn was believed to be the last planet at the edge of the solar system.
∞The Creation of Adam
1508 AD
ROME, ITALY
Pope Julius wanted Michelangelo to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel with figures of Jesus' 12 disciples, but Michelangelo had a far more complex design in mind. He proposed painting scenes from the Bible book of Genesis that would contain hundreds of figures.
He began work on the ceiling in 1508 with several assistants, whom he soon dismissed. He did the rest of the painting himself, using assistants only for menial tasks.
The task took four and a half years. During that time Michelangelo not only had to endure the extreme physical hardship of lying on his back and reaching upward while painting, but he also had to endure complaining and much delayed payments. In September 1510 quit working until January 1511 because he had not been paid.
But despite the problems, when he was finished he had created a masterpiece.
Michelangelo painted six large ceiling panels in which he depicted: God's creation of light and darkness; the creation of the sun, moon and stars; the creation of the waters; the creation of Adam, the first man; the creation of Eve; and Adam and Eve's expulsion from the Garden of Eden. In addition, he painted three smaller panels showing the sacrifice of Noah; the Flood; and the drunkenness of Noah.
The most famous and fascinating of these panels is the "Creation of Adam." In the picture, it appears that God is giving something to Adam. Perhaps God is giving him life, or a soul, or a blessing. Perhaps Michelangelo also meant to suggest that if man reaches out to God, God will reach out to man.
The ceiling had until recently been covered with the grime of centuries of candles and oil lamps, but a thorough cleaning completed in 1989 has removed the dirt and the colors now shine with their original intensity.▌So Large and So Small
4.5 Billion BC
RURAL MILKY WAY
To send a spacecraft to the outer reaches of our solar system takes years, but a beam of light can cross the entire solar system in less than a day.
To us the solar system is vast, but compared to our own galaxy, the Milky Way, it is microscopic, almost lost among the Milky Way's 100 billion other stars. The beam of light that crosses our solar system in less than a day would take a hundred thousand years to cross the Milky Way.
The solar system is composed of the sun and all the objects that travel around it: mainly planets, asteroids, and comets.
Most important of these orbiting bodies are the planets. From nearest the sun, they are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
There have been different theories about how the solar system was formed, but today most scientists believe it was formed about 4.5 billion years ago out of a disc of hydrogen gas and heavier materials that slowly condensed into the sun and planets.
