The earliest known stories from North America were written by Native Americans, many of which were passed down through oral tradition and have likely not been recorded in written form. Early written accounts of Indigenous history were often made by European settlers, who began to document Native American oral histories in the 17th century.
Some of the earliest written accounts include a 16th century biography of Hernán Cortés by mythologist Francisco López de Gomara, which contained a depiction of some of the indigenous cultures encountered by the Spanish in their colonization of the New World.
Colonial-era travelogues and records have also provided detailed accounts of Indigenous practices and beliefs. In the 19th century, James Adair, a British trader living in territory controlled by the Creek Indians, wrote The History of the American Indians, which offered a first-hand account of the Creek Nation.
In addition to early Western sources, Native Americans began to leave written accounts in the early 19th century, when Sequoyah developed a Cherokee written language, which was adopted in 1825. The first novel written by a Native American, The Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta, was written by John Rollin Ridge in 1854.
Today, many Native American authors are published in books and magazines, preserving traditional stories and creating new ones.
How would you feel if a giant hand?
If I were to encounter a giant hand, I would feel a range of emotions. On one hand, I would feel fear and apprehension given the sheer size of the hand and my relative smallness. On the other hand, I would also be fascinated and curious about the hand, wondering for example where it came from and what its purpose might be.
I think such an encounter would also make me feel a bit overwhelmed and uncertain about my own place in the world. Ultimately, though, I think I would be eager to learn more about the giant hand, as it would present a once in a lifetime opportunity to gain a better understanding of the world around me.
What would it feel like to hold the earth?
Holding the Earth, the literal embodiment of global power and the source of life for so many generations, would be a profound and humbling experience. It would feel amazing to be able to physically lay your hands on the Earth and truly appreciate its massive size and incredible fragility.
You would be holding one of the greatest wonders of this universe and it would be hard to comprehend how a ball of rock, water, and air could be the host of something so immense and powerful. You would also be aware of the responsibility we, as human beings, all have in protecting and nourishing it.
To have the opportunity to hold the Earth would be like finally being able to understand its beauty and power, and give respect and appreciation for everything it has endured and provided us.
Why does life exist on Earth?
There are numerous reasons why life exists on Earth, a few of the most significant being Earth’s unique combination of chemical and physical properties that make it a suitable location for living organisms.
Earth is the only known planet in the solar system to have liquid water, which is essential for life as we know it. Additionally, Earth has an ideal temperature range, as well as an atmosphere that is comprised of just the right balance of gases.
Finally, Earth has the necessary building blocks like CO2, nitrogen, and hydrogen that are needed for life to exist. Overall, Earth has a combination of features that make it perfectly suited for sustaining life.
Why was there no life on Earth?
Life on Earth began approximately 4 billion years ago when the planet was still very young and extremely hostile. For the first few billion years, Earth lacked the necessary components for life to exist, such as atmospheric oxygen, liquid water, and the appropriate temperature range.
This hostile environment was extremely inhospitable to support any type of life, as the Earth’s surface and atmosphere were bombarded by comets, asteroids, and cometary dust, which were filled with radiation and extremely high temperatures.
This extreme heat and radiation completely sterilized the planet and killed off any potential life.
In addition to the high-temperature radiation and the intense bombardment of space debris, the first few billion years of Earth’s history were dominated by molten magma and volcanic activity. This molten rock would have made it impossible for any life to survive by creating an extremely dry, hot, and caustic environment.
In time, Earth’s climate gradually changed due to the presence of volcanoes and geothermal vents, which released various gases such as carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and hydrogen, as well as water vapour.
These gases slowly built up in the atmosphere and eventually created an environment that could support life. However, it took billions of years for the planet’s climate to reach a point where it could sustain life and its inhabitants.
So, the combination of early hostile environment, the intense bombardment of space dust, the extreme hot and radiation-filled environment, and the volcanic and geothermal activity of the first few billion years of Earth’s history created an environment that was far too hostile for life to exist.
How much longer can we live on Earth?
Modern medical advances have allowed us to extend our lifespans significantly in comparison to generations past, and that trend is likely to continue. However, there are many external factors that threaten our ability to live on Earth and present challenges to our longevity.
These include climate change and the destruction of natural habitats, air and water pollution, overpopulation, and other environmental issues. Our collective efforts to address these issues will play an important role in how much longer we can continue to survive here on Earth.
Is Earth the only planet with life?
No, Earth is not the only planet with life. While it is currently the only planet that we know of that has any kind of life on it, there is a possibility that other planets in our solar system, or even other solar systems may also have forms of life as well.
Scientists have already begun looking for evidence of life on other planets. For example, in 2013, the Mars Rover Curiosity sent back evidence that microbial life may have once existed on the surface of Mars.
There is also research being done to find out about potentials for life on other planets, moons and possibly even in other solar systems. Generally, scientists look for planets and locations that share similar conditions to Earth, as it is believed that these would be the most likely places to find life.
What was Earth before it was Earth?
Before Earth became the planet we know today, it was a proto-planetary disk of dust, rocks, and gas orbiting the young Sun. It was formed directly from the material from the Sun, and from material left over from the formation of other planets in our Solar System.
Over time, the material condensed, causing it to flatten and rotate faster, forming a disk. This disk was full of dust, rocks, and ice, and the temperatures were varying due to the heat coming from the Sun.
Gravity began to pull the disk material closer together, eventually forming small clumps. These clumps gradually smashed together to form larger objects called planetesimals. These grew larger until they eventually collided to form the planet Earth.
Eventually, the Earth cooled and cooled until its surface was solid, allowing water, air and life to form.
What did Earth look like when it was born?
Earth was born approximately 4.5 billion years ago, and it would have looked very different than it does today. The Earth was likely a very hot place, with temperatures reaching over 4,000 degrees Celsius due to the intense heat of the sun, and the impact of meteors slamming into the Earth’s surface.
The molten magma that made up the Earth’s crust effectively formed a mostly-liquid outer layer that surrounded a dense, metal-rich core. The atmosphere would have been a turbulent and hostile place, made up largely of carbon dioxide, water vapor, and other gases, and less than 1% of the modern-day oxygen.
The rocks in the atmosphere were likely of a higher temperature than today, and most of the visible surface was covered in a burning orange mantle, possibly disrupted by periodic eruptions of volcanoes.
Over several hundred million years, the Earth cooled and the ingredients for life began to emerge, helping to shape the Earth into the planet that we now know.
What was Earth like 4 billion years ago?
Earth 4 billion years ago was a very different and much more hostile environment than what we know today. Back then, the planet was much hotter than it is now, with temperatures reaching up to 140°F in some areas.
The atmosphere and climate would have been dramatically different, with frequent and violent volcanoes, a much higher concentration of carbon dioxide, and almost no oxygen in the air. In addition, the surface of the Earth would have been mostly molten lava due to the planet’s extreme heat.
The high temperatures and lack of oxygen would have made it impossible for life as we know it to survive. Therefore, it is likely that any life forms that could have existed so long ago would have had to be extremely primitive and adapted to living in the harsh conditions of the ancient Earth.
Why don’t we fall off the Earth when it spins?
We don’t fall off the Earth when it spins because of the force of gravity. A concept integral to physics and the physical universe, gravity is a force that attracts objects with mass to each other. This means that any object with mass (including objects like us!) will be drawn towards objects with more mass due to their increased gravitational pull.
Consequently, as a result of the Earth’s mass and gravity, it creates an invisible ‘tether’ of sorts, which keeps us and every object on the planet from being flung away as the Earth rotates at an estimated 1,000 miles per hour.
In addition, the combination of centrifugal and centripetal forces play a role in keeping us in place as the Earth revolves. Centrifugal forces cause things to move away from the center of rotation due to inertia and angular momentum, while centripetal forces act to counteract this and draw objects back to the center of rotation.
Together, these forces act against each other to keep us firmly on the surface of the Earth and in place when it spins.
How long did Earth exist before life formed?
It is difficult to determine the exact timeframe of when life began to exist on Earth as fossil records of the earliest life forms are quite limited. However, based on observations and interpretations of the fossil record, it is estimated that life on Earth began approximately 3.5 to 3.
8 billion years ago during the Archean Eon.
This timeframe for life on Earth is largely based on discerning the first appearance of oxygen in the atmosphere. Oxygen is a major indicator of life because it is produced mainly by photosynthesis and almost all life forms need oxygen to survive.
Oxygen first began to build up in the atmosphere around 2.3 billion years ago.
The first life forms on Earth are believed to be small, single-celled microorganisms. Evidence suggests that they were simple prokaryotes, the smallest and simplest of all living organisms. Around 1.
5 billion years ago, these microbial life forms began to interact and evolve into what are known as eukaryotes. These are more complex organisms with well-defined cells.
It is unclear exactly how much time passed before Earth was able to support the life which we see today, however it is estimated to be somewhere around 500 million to 1 billion years ago. This is based on the fossil records which show a dramatic increase in the size and complexity of animal life during the Cambrian Period.
Altogether, it is believed that Earth existed for approximately 4.5 to 4.8 billion years before life was able to form.