Historical

Chemistry

How to make soap in wartime?

During the Second World War, we were short of everything, and therefore of soap. The Belgian population, rationed, made some with its own means. […]

Animals

Why fear wolves?

The fear of the big bad wolf, maintained since the Middle Ages by tales and fables, is linked to the fear of our own animal impulses. But the wolf is practically harmless for the Man […]

Food

5,000 years ago, we drank chocolate

You probably eat chocolate every day.
For some people, biting into a piece of chocolate has become a simple, comforting, greedy, daily gesture.
Biting into a piece of chocolate is a tradition that dates back to the 1800s… But did you know that the history of the chocolate drink, or rather the cocoa drink, is much longer?
[…]

Heard on the radio

The protective mask through History

If there is one object that symbolizes the coronavirus pandemic that affects the entire planet these days, it is the mask. A small square of plastic or fabric that has become essential to protect ourselves from the spread of Covid-19. This accessory, which acts as a barrier to microbes and other harmful substances, is not new. Thanks to the observation of the first “scientists” and doctors of the past, the mask was created, it must be said, to protect us. Here is the little story of the mask. […]

Artificial intelligence

War Heritage Institute: the drone from yesterday to today

Drones, these devices recognizable among a thousand by the roar of the propellers, are not only used to take photos. This technology, developed for military purposes during the First World War, fulfilled many missions for the army, such as detecting humans or animals using an infrared camera, filming and transmitting what was happening in the field in real-time. […]

rencontre avec l'homme de Neandertal imprimé en 3D
Heard on the radio

How about 3D printing a Neanderthal man?

Here is an original idea to meet our distant cousin! This is what the researchers did to give us an appearance of the Spy man, whose fossilized bones were discovered in 1886 in the Spy Cave. […]

Fun facts

The jerrycan: a story of can

An essential tool today for long journeys by car, the jerrycan was above all developed during the Second World War to meet the practical needs of soldiers. You had to think about refueling from time to time, and in wartime, impossible to detour by the nearest service station. […]