If you’re in the corporate world or affiliated with any organization, meetings are featured in your schedule. You’ve sat around the table discussing important matters and making decisions with your team, in an effort to meet various objectives. But how many of us can say that we’ve had the privilege of participating in a meeting so significant that it revolutionized the world and had implications that have greatly impacted the past, present and maybe future? History shows that there have been a few of these gatherings. Let’s take a look at a few historical meetings that have shaped the world today.

1. The Senate Debate about Caesar

The Roman Senate met on January 7, 49BC to discuss Julius Caesar and the power that he had gained. The senate ordered Caesar to surrender his well-trained legion but he refused. Instead, Caesar rebelled and he was declared an enemy of the state by the senate. This meeting was significant as it gave rise to the civil war between Rome’s great generals, Caesar and Pompey, where Caesar was victorious. The decision taken at this meeting had implications for Rome and the world.

2. Bretton Woods Conference

In 1944 when the end of World War II was in sight, there was a gathering of 730 delegates of the Allied Nations in Bretton Wood, New Hampshire. Representatives from 44 countries including the US attended. They recognized that after the war, countries that were once wealthy would require investment and thus needed a new financial system. At this meeting, called the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, major decisions were made that began the groundwork for some of the organizations we know today. The decisions led to the development of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, now known as the World Bank.

3. The First Council of Nicaea

The First Council of Nicaea of Christian bishops was convened in AD 325 by the Roman emperor Constantine I. It was the first ecumenical council of the Christian church. This meeting defined the Christian Church’s doctrine regarding the trinity and the relationship between God and Jesus, which was a topic of contention. This formed the foundation of the theological thinking of Christianity which continues to be shared with followers today.

4. The Yalta Conference

The Yalta Conference was held in Yalta in the Crimea region in the USSR in February 1945 when the end of the war was near. At this conference, heads of Government of the United States- Roosevelt; Britain- Churchill and the Soviet Union- Stalin, met to discuss the future of Germany post war. It was decided that Germany would be divided in 4 controlled zones for the United States, France, Britain and the Soviet Union. The decision regarding free elections was also made. One of the political developments out of this conference was the decision for the US, Britain and Soviet Union to join the United Nations. Some of the decisions brought about contention which led to the Cold War.

5. The Congress of Vienna

In 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated, relinquished his throne and sent into exile. By the end of the Napoleonic Conquest, Europe was left disorganized. The Congress of Vienna was convened in an effort to decide the future of Europe and reconstruct a European order. In attendance were representatives from Austria, Britain, Prussia and Russia. It was decided that European borders and the political map would be changed.

Fluent writers and speakers use literary devices and expressions such as idioms and proverbs as they seek to add dynamism and character to their writing or speech. Though we use them often in our day to day conversations, you may be surprised to know that many of them are misunderstood and therefore wrongly used. Language is ever evolving and over time, these sayings which have been misinterpreted, become widespread, are accepted and replace the original phrases. Let’s take a look at well-known idioms and sayings that are often misunderstood.

1. A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss

We’ve heard this many times before, but what does it mean? This saying grew in popularity during the Renaissance when Erasmus, in 1500, published a collection of proverbs. It originally had a negative connotation and meant social irresponsibility. It spoke to the weakness of being rootless and not committing to family or career. This saying now denotes something different, particularly in youth culture where it means freedom, adventure and being free-spirited. Accepting its negative connotation or its contemporary use, is all a matter of perspective.

2. You Have Another Think Coming

Yes you may have read this thinking that it’s just an error but it isn’t. People often say “you have another thing coming” but this is a common error. The word “think” is often replaced with “thing”. This phrase is used to tell someone that they are wrong and should reconsider and adopt a different viewpoint. This is an example of an eggcorn, a phrase resulting from mishearing and misinterpretation of another. “Another think coming” was the original phrase and its earliest use was spotted in an Ohio newspaper in 1892 and “another thing coming” was seen in a New York newspaper from 1897.

3. I Couldn’t Care Less

The correct phrase “I couldn’t care less” is often replaced by “I could care less” which actually carries a totally different meaning, but are used interchangeably. The former means that you do not care about something at all while the latter means you do care a bit. So which of these have you been meaning to say and what have you really been communicating?

4. A Moot Point

A moot point is today referred to as a fact that is unimportant and not worth mentioning or is not relevant in a given situation. However, many people can be caught saying “a mute point.” While moot and mute are pronounced differently, persons seem to mishear the word moot. The word is not the only thing that has changed over time. Have you considered what a moot point really is? A moot point originally meant a topic at a moot. A moot was used to refer to a meeting of people for judicial purposes. The moot point would therefore be the issues or topics being discussed by the participants of the moot.

5. Pull Yourself Up by Your Bootstraps

This phrase should definitely not be taken literally as it is impossible to use your bootstraps to pull yourself up. Don’t just take it from me. Go ahead, put your boots on and try it. This expression was originally used to refer to a task that is impossible to achieve or to attempt to do something absurd. In the 1920s, this meaning began to evolve to its understanding today. It is now used as a motivational saying, to encourage someone to do something without the help of others, even though it may be difficult.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are living organisms whose genetic makeup has been artificially manipulated through genetic engineering, in a laboratory, to achieve desired traits. The topic of GMOs has been one of much contention in the past few years, with proponents of its use believing that the benefits should be harnessed and opponents suggesting that they should be banned. While the jury may still be out on this, one thing is for sure, there are several lies that we have been fed about GMOs. Let’s debunk these!

1. GMOs are not Adequately Tested for Safety

Many believe that GMOs are unregulated, but this is far from the truth. In fact, there are strict biosafety protocols employed by governments to ensure that all genetically modified products are tested to ensure they do not threaten the lives of people, animals or affect the environment. There are agencies whose responsibility is making sure that protocols are adhered to and these crops are safe for consumption. The nutritional value, types of modifications and chemicals used on GMOs are all monitored.

2. GMOs Destroy the Environment

While the destruction of the environment by GMOs is a popular narrative, this is untrue. Research shows that GMOs are an ally in saving the environment. Herbicide tolerant crops destroy the surrounding weed without affecting the crops. Therefore, the soil does not have to be tilled often, thus maintaining soil health, reducing fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions. Reduced tilling of the soil results in greater water retention, less run-offs and a reduction in water pollution. In addition, fewer pesticides are used by farmers of GMOs while increasing crop yields. This means that less land is used which results in decreased deforestation and harm to our already fragile ecosystem. So this technology helps conserve water, protects land and improves air quality.

3. GMOs are Affecting our Health

Studies continue to show that there is no correlation between GMOs and the health problems we experience. The consensus by the vast majority of health experts is that the available GMOs have no more health risks than conventional foods. These foods are closely studied and experiments have shown that GMOs do not cause toxicity that adversely affect organ health or function, affect pregnancy or offspring, nor is there evidence of gene transfer between GMOs and consumers.

4. GMOs are Not as Nutritious as Traditional Crops

GMOs are just as nutritious and healthy as traditional crops. It has been tested and proven that GMO crops have the same nutritional value as traditional crops. In fact, genetic engineering has the capability to produce biofortified crops, that is, the nutritional quality of staple foods can be enhanced through genetic engineering. This has been done with Golden Rice which is fortified with vitamin A. Such foods are expected to improve the diet of people with inadequate nutrition.

5. GMOs are Killing Bees

The population of bees, particularly honey bees, has been on the decline for some time. Between 2008 and 2013, the population of bees in the US declined by 30% and in Spain, about 80% of beehives was lost in that period. Bees play a pivotal role in the ecosystem and so, this trend is cause for concern. However, GMOs should not be blamed. The excessive use of agricultural chemicals has been identified as one of the factors negatively affecting bees, but remember, pest resistant GMOs result in fewer pesticides being used. Other factors resulting in the decline in the population of bees include diseases, mono-cropping and climate change.

The indiscriminate dumping of plastic threatens the environment and ecosystem. More plastic is being produced and recycling promises to reduce the amount of plastic in our environment- a Hail Mary some may say. Plastic recycling allows for the reprocessing of plastic waste into new and useful products. Ongoing sensitization encourages consumers to dispose of plastic waste appropriately, all in an effort to save our planet. While the valuable efforts to recycle must be highlighted, some of what we have been made to believe about recycling plastics are lies. These may be real eye openers.

1. Recycling Plastic is Beneficial to the Environment

Have you ever considered that recycling in itself also leads to pollution? To transport used plastics, trucks and ships burn fuel, releasing gases into the air. A high percentage of plastics taken to the recycling bins are contaminated or cannot be recycled. As such, they are rerouted to the landfill. Fuel and chemicals are used at recycling plants, releasing pollutants into the air and water. Some may say, the decision to recycle or not is truly a matter of choosing the lesser of the two evils.

2. Plastic is Recycled Indefinitely

Plastics are made from polymer chains, which are long chains of atoms that become shorter every time the plastic is recycled, thus changing its chemical composition and decreasing its quality. Thus, many plastics can only be recycled once or twice before the quality decreases to the extent that it can no longer be recycled. Recycled plastics are not used to manufacture the same product. For instance, soda bottles often can’t be recycled into another bottle, but instead, used to make sewer drain pipes.

3. All Plastics are Recyclable

Plastic bearing the recycling symbol doesn’t mean the item can be recycled. There are 7 categories of plastics according to Resin Identification Codes. This is based on the chemical makeup of the plastic. The higher the resin code, the lower the likelihood that the type of plastic can be easily recycled. Types 1 and 2 are often recycled. Type 3 plastics which include thin plastic bags are usually not recycled as they clog recycle machines. They are also inexpensive yet costly to recycle and therefore, not financially worthwhile for companies. Type 6 is styrofoam, and has a very low recycling rate.

4. Different Types of Plastics Can Be Mixed When Being Recycled

While you may be of the impression that recycling plants are able to recycle different types of plastics together, this is not the case. Many plastics cannot be mixed and must be separated based on their types or resin, as they have different melting temperatures and react differently when being processed into new products. Sorting is necessary and can be done manually or using technology capable of recognizing different types of plastics. Incompatible plastics, if mixed, result in weak material and contamination of batches of plastic which cannot be recycled.

5. The Plastic Industry is in Support of Recycling

The producers of plastic are aware that the majority of all plastics produced will not or cannot be recycled. Yet they continue to “support” recycling. Why? Plastic recycling was promoted by plastic companies from the inception, as a way to preempt plastic bans and sell more plastic. At that time, a growing backlash was threatening the future of the industry. More plastic is being produced and recyclable signs are placed on plastics that are rarely recycled. Consumers purchase in large volumes believing that it will later be recycled. When this is not done, the recycling industry becomes the scapegoat.

Just about every Roman emperor has a few crazy stories attached to their name but by far Gaius Caesar Augustaus Germanicus, also known by his nickname Caligula, was the most certifiably insane. Six ancient Romans wrote about him and his crazy escapades, and every single one of them came to the conclusion that he was a few fries short of a happy meal. Some of these stories are so crazy that some people are even skeptical that they even happened. Here are five reasons that solidifies Caligula’s title as Rome’s looniest emperor.

1. He Wouldn’t Let Anyone Mention Goats Around Him

As rash as he was, Caligula was very sensitive when it came to his hair. It pretty much grew everywhere except where he wanted it the most: his head. He had a bald spot, one that he went to great lengths to make sure that no one could make fun of. So much so that he made it illegal to mention the word “goat” in his presence. It is also reported that he stopped artists from drawing his bald spot, though it did show up in written descriptions.

2. He Threatened to Beat Up a God

It is believed that Caligula may have been severely mentally ill. Aside from his brash and sadistic personality, he also suffered hallucinations which affected his sleep because they were worse at night. According to the philosopher Seneca, he once witnessed Caligula threaten Jupiter, the god of thunder. Apparently the emperor became furious when thunder started to roar during a ballet show, which led to Caligula storming outside and threatening to beat the god to death.

3. He Invited His Horse to Drink Wine at His Dinner Table

According to multiple sources, Caligula treated his horse Incitatus way better than he did most people. The horse lived in a multiple room house fitted complete furniture and a crew of slaves who were ordered to follow the horse’s every command. He even invited Incitatus to dine with him where the horse was served wine in golden goblets. Caligula made sure that Incitatus was well rested: it is said that he sent his soldiers to threaten the crowd at a game into silence after noticing that their cheering was bothering the horse.

4. He Rode a Horse Across a Gulf Just to Prove a Fortune-Teller Wrong

When an astrologer named Thrasyllus predicted that Caligula had “no more chance of becoming emperor than of riding a horse across the Gulf of Baiae,” he made it his duty to do exactly that. He rounded up every ship he could find and had them line up across the gulf, then ordered slaves to lay earth upon them, creating a huge bridge in the process. And in true to his word, Caligula strutted across the bridge back and forth for two days straight on his favorite horse, Incitatus.

5. He Tried to Replace the Head on the Statue of Zeus with His Own

Not even the title of emperor could satisfy Caligula’s ego. He wanted to be a god with a cult who worshiped his very being. So much so that he had temples constructed in his honor, both in Rome and Syria. He even had plans to place a stone carving of his face in place of that of Zeus at Olympia, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. And bull sacrifices just wouldn’t cut it either: his followers had to sacrifice peacocks and flamingos in his honor—only the finest animals would do.

Throughout the history of warfare, humans have always found innovative (and sometimes ghastly) ways of keeping invaders away. Most of the time, a simple stout wall was enough but when that failed, the inhabitants got creative and came up with some of the most bizarre and ingenious tactics and weapons one could possibly think of. Keep reading to learn of five such examples.

1. Bodies

When the invading Mongols found it difficult to breach the surrounding walls of the city of Caffa in 1346, they resorted to using their mounds of piling bodies to get the job done. This was one of the earliest instances of using biological weaponry to take down the enemy. The Mongol army was hit pretty hard by the Black Death so instead of burying their people, they flung them over the walls, hoping that the stench would be enough to take out everyone. Well, it worked, just not how they expected. Instead, they merely spread the deadly disease that eventually reached the rest of Europe.

2. Sand

During moments when oil and water were too valuable to waste during a war, the defending besiegers made use of an unexpected material: sand. Alexander the Great and his army were taken by surprise when the defenders in the city of Tyre heated up fine sand until it glowed a bright shade of red. Once launched, Alexander’s men found themselves covered in the burning sand which found its way into every nook and cranny of their armor. Forced to strip down their armor, the soldiers became easy pickings for the archers on the walls.

3. Bees

Sometime in the 10th century, the British city of Chester was at war with the invading Vikings. They had the upper hand and managed to slow down the enemy a few times who in turn, found creative ways to counteract the defenders’ attacks. First, they threw stones, but the Vikings protected themselves with shields. Next was hot, boiling beer that passed through the wooden shields and burned the Vikings’ skin, but they used animal hides so that the beer slid to the side. Finally, the defenders collected bees from the city and hurled it at the Vikings who were completely helpless as the angry bees stung them.

4. Pigs

After King John declared the Magna Carta civil rights to be invalid, those hit hardest, the barons or lower class, rose up in rebellion, resulting in the First Barons’ War. The rebels managed to take over one of John’s castles in Rochester, which led to several failed attempts by the king to reclaim it. At his wits end, he turned his focus to pigs and ordered his engineers to dig beneath the walls of the keep and then use “forty of the fattest pigs” to burn through the support beams of the tunnel. The end result was a fire so great that it took out both the tunnel and part of the tower above it, forcing the barons to surrender.

5. Exploding Mill Wheels

In 1552, the Ottoman army attempted to invade the Castle of Eger in Hungary. Despite the castle’s good defensive position on a hill, they were still outnumbered by the tens of thousands of Ottoman troops who managed to weaken the castle’s outer walls. That’s when a man named Gergely Bornemissza constructed a makeshift weapon using a mill wheel, heavy stones that were used to crush grain into flour and gunpowder. The explosion proved to be deadly for the Ottomans who were hit with shards of burning wood and stones.

We’ve all heard of the saying, “it’s raining cats and dogs” but apparently it rains fish too… and quite literally. Many countries have experienced the natural phenomena of fishes falling straight out of the sky and most times, it’s because a nearby waterspout picked up the fish from the ocean and dumped them over on dry land. Those who love fishing would have a much easier time of bring a great catch home, with barely any effort too. Let’s take a look at five curious cases of the sky raining fish.

1. Fairbanks, Alaska

Seeing regular fish fall out of the sky is weird enough, but what about those with eel-like bodies and large suckers for a mouth. Now that’s something straight out of a nightmare. In June 2015, the people of Fairbanks, Alaska were greeted by four lampreys, suckerfish with really large teeth. Of the four creatures, only one managed to survive. It was found in a store parking lot and placed in a bucket. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game theorized that the fishes were most likely dropped by gulls, as evidenced by the small, evenly spaced holes on their sides.

2. Yoro, Honduras

In other parts of the world, “fish rain” is an absurd phenomenon that leaves everyone scratching their heads. But not in Yoro, Honduras where every May or June, the locals brace themselves for the much-anticipated Lluvia de Peces or “Rain of Fish.” It turns out that this is a pretty frequent occurrence there, one that is the result of waterspouts sucking up fish and dropping them off in Yoro, much to the enjoyment of the residents. Where most people would be annoyed; the people of Yoro see the fish as a gift from God.

3. Knighton, Wales

On August 18, 2004, while en route to a meeting, a group of writers came face-to-face with a school of small fish right in the middle of the town. A few of the fish were still alive, but they died shortly after due to the lack of water, obviously. The nearest coast was at least 50 miles or 80 kilometers from the dumping site. Something, most likely a waterspout, transported them all the way from the ocean.

4. Tampico, Mexico

On September 26 2017, the small Mexican town of Tampico was hit with what was supposed to be a regular shower of rain. To everyone’s surprise, something other than water fell out of the sky that day—it was a deluge of fish that no one cared to collect. According to Pedro Granados, director of civil protection in Tamaulipas state, raining fish was the least of their problems since they were frequently bombarded with natural disasters like floods and earthquakes.

5. Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

Dire Dawa is a fairly large Ethiopian city with a population of over half a million. In January 2016, the city was still in the middle of a severe drought when the unexpected happened: fish started pouring out of the sky, on a clear and cloudless day too. No one saw any winds and there weren’t any nearby cyclones either. Everyone was ecstatic to say the least and unlike the Tampico residents, the already economically oppressed people of Dire Dawa were more than happy to take the fish home.

Depending on who you ask, blindness can refer to “legal blindness” which is used for people who suffer from poor eyesight, or it can refer to “total blindness,” referring to those who can’t see at all. Regardless of which category one falls under, there have been numerous cases of blind people who claimed to have “seen” things. Whether it’s visual hallucinations or facial expressions, here are five amazing things that the blind can “see.”

1. Facial Expressions

Emotional contagion is a phenomenon experienced by humans whereby someone reacts to the facial expression or behavior of another person. Blind people do this too. Despite not being able actually see you, their brains are able to pick up on your facial expression and react accordingly. This was proven to be true in a study by researcher Marco Tamietto at Tilburg University in the Netherlands where the participants of the study all reacted immediately to images of people either smiling or frowning.

2. Movement

At only 29-years-old, Milena Channing thought she had lost her sight forever after suffering a devastating stroke. As she adjusted to her new life, Milena realized that she could see water moving as she bathed her daughter. Over time, she was able to perceive steam leaving her cup of coffee, rain falling, and even her daughter’s swinging ponytail, despite not being able to actually see the objects itself, just the movement. Turns out that she was experiencing “Riddoch’s phenomenon,” which causes blind people to see only moving objects. Milena later bought a rocking chair since it improved her “vision” whenever she was in motion.

3. Visual Hallucinations

Charles Bonnet syndrome is a condition that is fairly common among people who recently lost their eyesight. It can continue for up to a year and a half before fading away. Sufferers of this condition are very much aware of the fact that the things they’re “seeing” aren’t real at all, and are simply just hallucinations. One possible reason for this is that CBS is the brain’s attempt at making up for the loss of vision. According to a 69-year-old man who suffered from CBS for six months after he lost his eyesight, he saw a wide range of things including abnormal shapes, people he knew and even animals, such as a spider that tried to hurt him.

4. Nightmares

After analyzing the dreams of 50 people, half of whom were blind, researchers concluded that the eleven people who were born blind experienced nightmares 25% of the time. This was drastically higher than the 14% of people who went blind during their lifetimes. They had nightmares 7% of the time, while sighted people were only 6%. However, the dreams were never related to seeing but the other four senses. Instead, it was tied to awkward social situations and terrible accidents related to their disability.

5. Everyone Else Including Themselves (During Near Death Experiences)

Blind people are also able to have near-death experiences and when they do, it’s a bit different than that of sighted people. Strangely enough, some blind people report temporarily regaining their eyesight after leaving their body. Take for instance 22-year-old Vicki Umipeg who has been blind since infancy. She reported seeing herself and the doctor on the operating table after a car accident left her with a fractured skull. She also mentioned going through a tunnel that led her to a group of beings made of light.