The conflict between Russia & Ukraine has been cited as the first large scale use of this technology in warfare. The ability to neutralize a multi million dollar equipment such as a tank with a $500 weapon has been a game changer.
Looking this trend the Ukrainian government has even created an ‘Unmanned System Forces’ earlier in 2024 to specialize on this front.
Which technology am I talking about?
Show Answer(Warfare) Drones
The war in Ukraine has been characterized by drone deployment of unprecedented scale, with thousands of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used to track enemy forces, guide artillery and bomb targets.
Read more about use of Drone in Ukraine & State of Drone Warfare.
Tag: War
[296]
Gerald Holtom used a combination of the semaphore symbols for the letters ‘N’ and ‘D’, standing for nuclear disarmament to create it.
Over the years, the symbol became popular & came to symbolize more that it was intended to. Its Unicode symbol is U+262E.
What am I talking about?
Show AnswerThe Peace Symbol
The symbol was created in 1958 as a symbol for Britain's campaign for nuclear disarmament. It went on to be widely adopted in the American anti-war movement in the 1960s and was re-interpreted as generically representing world peace.
Read More about Peace Symbols in history.
[292]
This handsome man, Ambrose X was an army officer and politician who fought in the American Civil War.
A fashion style has been named after him. Can you guess it?
[254]
The leading theory is that X came from Samuel Wilson, a meat packer who supplied meat to U.S. troops in New York and New Jersey who were fighting against British invaders during the War of 1812. Barrels of Wilson’s meat stamped “U.S.” were associated with his nickname.
This gave rise to which phenomenon, which became even more famous during the World Wars.
Show AnswerUncle Sam, which became a personification of the American national government.
Read More about the character.
[243]
In 18oos, he implemented a new metric system for measurement in his country. It was based on the system of kilogram and meter. For example, he modified metric pound to 500g instead of 489g.
After losing power, he spent the last six years of his life in confinement by the British on the island of Saint Helena.
Guess who?
[140]
The “X Meter” is a phenomenon where there was a sudden influx of business for providers of X in areas with concentrated US government activity (like Washington DC, where the White House and the Pentagon are located) just before major world events in the 1980s and 90s (notable examples being the first Gulf War and the US invasions of Panama and Grenada.)
This was first noticed in 1990 just prior to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, when CIA personnel gathered at the Pentagon to discuss the ongoing issue, and one Frank Meeks realized a lot of his business traffic during that time (especially at night) was directed at the Pentagon. Business continued to boom right into 1991, with business spikes very reliably tied to major announcements from the White House and the Pentagon, a series of events the public dubbed the “X Meter”. Similar trends were spotted in hindsight in the 80s.
Naturally, the powers that be weren’t too amused by this trend being publicized, and government offices were instructed to change their tactics to break this pattern.
What is the X in question?
[104]
In 1943, noted philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre released what is commonly considered his most influential existential philosophical work, a monolithic 722-page tome bearing the equally weighty title of Being and Nothingness: An Essay on Phenomenological Ontology.
One might expect that, with that name and that subject matter, the book would be nigh unknown to the general public, likely only finding an avid audience in tweed-wearing, high-thinking, pipe-smoking professorial types frequenting smoky salons, quaint libraries, and lecture halls — and yet, Being and Nothingness was (relatively) a runaway success upon publication, gaining purchase even among grocers and shopkeepers, and most notably, women*.
What peculiar reason caused the unforeseen popularity and amazing sales of this book?
[55]
6 men were sent for an assassination. The first two failed to act. The third threw a bomb which bounced off the target’s car and exploded under the car behind.
The target then went to a town hall to give a pre-planned speech. On his way back, the target’s car happened to stall, separated from his security. A fourth assassin was waiting there by chance, who then fired 2 shots, killing the target and his wife.
Who was the target?
[54]
Starting in 1377, The Wars of the Roses were a series of civil wars fought between the Lancasters & the Tudors. Involving assassinations, battles and influence from France, the wars lasted generations, with both the factions trying to control the British throne.
Which popular series did the Wars inspire?
[53]
Which anti Soviet warrior is being lauded here for his efforts for building roads in Sudan in The Independent from 1993?
Show Answer
[52]
The term coined in 1944, combines the Greek word for “race, people” with the Latin word for “act of killing”. While it was first used to describe the Nazi occupation of Poland, but was later used to describe similar events in Armenia, Rwanda and many more.
Which term am I talking about?
[51]
The origin of this region goes back 4,000 years, making it one of the oldest cities in the world. It has served as a small capital for the ancient Egyptian empire, sieged by Alexander the Great and involved in the Crusades. It has changed hands multiple times from Persians, Ottomans to the British after World War I.
In its current state, it has been reduced to a size of just 365 km2, blockaded on all sides & called the world’s largest open-air prison.
Which region am I talking about?
[13]
What is common between the following wars? (non-exhaustive list)
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- Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta between 431–404 BC
- Punic Wars between Rome & Carthage around 240BC
- First Balkan War (1912–13) between Turkey on one side & Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, Montenegro on the other side
- Irish War of Independence from 1919 to 1921 between Ireland & the UK
- First Kashmir War of 1947–1948 between India & Pakistan
- Six-Day War of 1967 between Israel & Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia (plus Lebanon)