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Pi Anyone? International Pi Day

Pi Anyone? International Pi Day

The 14th of March is International Day of Mathematics and International Pi Day.

What is International Mathematics Day?

On the 26th of November 2019 UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation) decided March the 14th should be declared the International Day of Mathematics.

The main purpose of the day was to celebrate and highlight the importance of Mathematics. Making people aware mathematics is everywhere and used in everyday life, as well as in specialist industries.

Prior to the birth of International Mathematics Day, the 14th of March was International Pi Day. Continue reading

Celebrating International Women’s Day

 Celebrating International Women’s Day

Inspiring women of Scotland

Celebrating International Women’s Day in Scotland,  we thought it might be nice to pay homage to some incredible Scottish women both alive and sadly gone. We can only fit in a few here so if you are interested in learning more, why not look up some more information at librarysearch.napier.ac.uk

Christina Miller

Photo of Christina Miller

Source: Heriot Watt University

One little know Scottish woman whose story deserves to be better remembered is Christina Miller. Despite being born female and hearing impaired in 1899, and later losing her sight in one eye, she battled against the norms of the time to become a respected analytical chemist. In addition, she was an inspirational teacher and mentor to generations of students.

Miller was awarded the Keith Prize by the Royal Society of Edinburgh for her scientific paper on phosphorus trioxide. She became one of the first 5 women to be elected to the Royal Society of Edinburgh. There is even a building at the University of Edinburgh named after her.

Photo of Mukami McCrum

Source: British Library

Mukami McCrum

An all-round amazing person, Mukami McCrum has lived in Scotland most of her life. Mukami fights for women’s rights, in particular BAME and LGBT women who need support from domestic abuse. Furthermore, she is one of the founders of Shakti Women’s Aid and campaigns to end Female Genital Mutilation.

She was the chief executive of Central Scotland Racial Equality Council and has brought her deep commitment to race and gender justice to many organisations, including Akina Mama wa Afrika, World Council of Churches, and Responding to Conflict Trust. She has an MBE for her community and human rights work.

Continue reading

World Chocolate Day Thursday 7th of July 2022

Take a moment to indulge in World Chocolate Day!  

Did you know that approximately 1 billion people from around the world eat chocolates every day?  

This just shows that many of us cannot resist the temptation of chocolaty treats. Chocolate is also the food of love! It may be recognised as unhealthy, but dark chocolate has many health benefits to creating a calm and happy mood, improving memory and even helps to keep that heart healthy… but remember everything is in moderation! 

 

What is the story of chocolate? 

Chocolate begins from the pods of the cacao tree and is native to Central and South America. Each pod is usually grown from the trunk and in the larger branches, which contain the cacao beans.  

Did you know cacao is the botanical name for the unfermented beans and cocoa is the manufactured product?  You can find more about the cocoa bean via our Library Search here: 

https://napier.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/44NAP_INST/n96pef/alma99525930102111  

 

 

Image of Cacao

Cacao

Photo by Tetiana Bykovets on Unsplash.

 

 

Chocolate is traced back to Mayans where it was consumed in liquid form for celebrations and complimented with most meals. It was often combined with chillies, water and honey. The Aztecs also believed that chocolate was sacred and used the cacao beans as currency- more valuable than gold!  

During the industrial revolution, chocolate was booming. Half of the cacao butter was removed for the chocolate liquor and resulting in a creamier and improved quality. It was the modern era for cost-effective, machine-based chocolate. 

John Cadbury opened the first shop in Birmingham in 1824 and has manufactured chocolate since. Due to the machinery, different types of chocolate have emerged and today it is a highly refined, edible confectionary.   

https://www.cadbury.co.uk/our-story  

 

Image of Cadbury Bournville Chocolate

Cadbury Bournville Chocolate

Photo by Shri on Unsplash.

 

 

Fair-trade chocolate  

Fairtrade Chocolate supports changing the way cocoa is supplied, ethical working conditions and sustainable incomes for farmers and their families. You can recognise the fairtrade on products like this one below: 

Find more about Fair Trade here: https://www.fairtrade.org.uk/Buying-Fairtrade/Chocolate/ 

 

 

Cadbury-inspired recipe spies in Roald Dahl’s novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You can find Tim Burton’s adaptation of this DVD via the library search:  

https://napier.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/44NAP_INST/n96pef/alma9920610750102111  

 

 

Let us know which is your favourite chocolate bar in the comments below?  

 

Find more information  

https://nationaltoday.com/world-chocolate-day/  

https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-americas/history-of-chocolate  

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