Author: Beth Anne Macaluso

Having a big pile of debt hanging over you can be totally overwhelming. That’s where the method we call “The Genius of Small Goals” comes in handy.

In case you hadn’t noticed, mental_floss loves beer. (A lot.) So in our quest to drink more of it—and to learn some new stuff in the process—we’ve been cracking open old favorites and fresh brews every afternoon and sharing what we’re drinking (plus an interesting tidbit about it) over on Untappd.

Here are just a few we’ve tried recently:

1. SCHLENKERLA’S AECHT SCHLENKERLA RAUCHBIER

The majority of deliciously smoky German rauchbiers take their flavor from the smoke of cured beechwood.

2. VICTORY BREWING COMPANY’S DIRTWOLF DOUBLE IPA

Ron Barchet and Bill Covaleski, the founders of Victory Brewing, first met on the school bus in the fifth grade.

3. HALF ACRE BEER COMPANY’S AKARI SHOGUN PALE WHEAT ALE

Half Acre founder Gabriel Magliaro named this brew after a cat he had in the ’90s. He later found out that “Akari” is Japanese for “light.” (The beer is not.)

4. BAYERISCHE STAATSBRAUEREI WEIHENSTEPHAN’S WEIHENSTEPHANER HEFEWEISSBIER DUNKEL

Germany’s beer purity law, the Reinheitsgebot, turned 500 in 2016. It originally decreed that beer could contain only barley, water, and hops.

5. SWEETWATER BREWING COMPANY’S SQUEEZE BOX AMERICAN IPA

Georgia-based Sweetwater takes its name from a creek that serves as one of its founders’ favorite kayaking spots.

6. LAGUNITAS BREWING COMPANY’S IPA

The pit bull on Lagunitas labels was inspired by The Little Rascals’s canine companion, Petey.

7. OTHER HALF BREWING COMPANY’S DOUBLE DRY HOPPED STACKS ON STACKS DOUBLE IPA

According to Urban Dictionary’s definition, one “stack” is the equivalent of $1000.

8. GOOSE ISLAND BEER CO.’S BOURBON COUNTY BRAND AMERICAN IMPERIAL STOUT

From 1919 until 2014, Bourbon County, Kentucky was home to zero distilleries.

9. SIERRA NEVADA BREWING CO.’S TROPICAL TORPEDO AMERICAN IPA

Sierra Nevada, which opened in 1980, is still 100 percent owned and operated by founder Ken Grossman and his family.

10. BROUWERIJ DE BRABANDERE’S WITTEKERKE WITBIER

Wittekerke was created for (and served on) a Flemish soap opera of the same name, which ran from 1998 to 2008.

11. CIGAR CITY BREWING’S VANILLA HAZELNUT MARSHAL ZHUKOV’S IMPERIAL STOUT

President Dwight Eisenhower once gave Georgy Zhukov a fishing reel as a gift. The marshal used it for the rest of his life.

12. BOSTON BEER COMPANY’S SAMUEL ADAMS HOPSCAPE

The great-great-grandfather of Sam Adams’ Jim Koch ran a St Louis brewery in the 1800s. His neighbor: Adolphus Busch of Anheuser-Busch fame.

Have a suggestion for something else we should try? Leave us a comment below or on our Untappd page.

More than four decades after its end, the Vietnam War remains synonymous with unrest in the U.S. After all, the country entered the fray in earnest in the 1960s, the decade that ushered in all kinds of change across the land. But those shifts weren’t all cultural. As engineers applied the lessons learned from the century’s earlier wars, huge advancements in military weaponry were afoot, or rather, in the air. mental_floss examines the ways aviation technology drove the Vietnam War.

1. AT FIRST, THE U.S. FOCUSED ON AERIAL OPERATIONS. 

The “War to End All Wars” didn’t exactly do so; neither did the international conflicts after it. But aerial weapons research started during WWII did greatly affect U.S. military strategy in Vietnam. By the mid-1960s, the U.S. had built an impressive fleet of aircraft. Its arsenal included everything from stealth jets used for reconnaissance, such as the Lockheed YO-3 “Quiet Star,” to bombers including the AC-130 Spectre, one of the deadliest aircraft ever, to fighter jets including the Martin B-57B, which was the first American jet to be used in Vietnam. The sheer number and variety of aircraft in the U.S. forces’ arsenal made it seem as if victory from above would be imminent. When President Lyndon B. Johnson ordered Operation Rolling Thunder in 1965, the idea was to stop the spread of Communist forces while avoiding a land war and minimizing the loss of American lives. Instead, it went on to become the longest sustained aerial bombing campaign in U.S. history, and fully pulled the U.S. into the lengthy conflict.

2. AMERICAN POWS WERE MOSTLY PILOTS AND OTHER AIRMEN. 

Aerial attacks may have weakened North Vietnamese and Communist forces, but they also served to strengthen their resolve. With help from China and the Soviet Union, the North Vietnamese Army soon deployed surface-to-air missiles and radar-controlled anti-aircraft artillery. The highly effective Soviet S75-Dvina was one of the first high-altitude air defense systems designed to be mobile. (Now, of course, most modern systems focus on mobility.) The massive success of these defensive machines helps explain why, for the first time, the majority of American prisoners of war were pilots and other airmen.

3. HELICOPTERS ENABLED SMALL SEARCH AND RESCUE MISSIONS, SAVING LIVES. 

There’s a reason Vietnam is referred to as The Helicopter War. Though the U.S. first used helicopters in World War II and then later in the Korean War, they relied on them like never before during Vietnam. With their ability to fly at low altitudes while holding heavy weaponry, including machine guns and missiles, they made targeted strikes easier. They could also accurately drop in supplies to troops on the ground. But it was really the choppers’ ability to land in small spaces that made them useful for evacuating killed or wounded soldiers, turning them into Medevac units. One copter in particular, the Bell UH-1 helicopter—affectionately referred to as the “Huey”—became an unofficial symbol of U.S. troops. “It’s the noisy one. It’s the one that really hacks into the air and makes that whomp noise,” explains former U.S. pilot Richard Jellerson, who wrote and produced the 2001 documentary The Personal Experience: Helicopter Warfare in Vietnam. “It was like a truck, it was easy to fix and could take any amount of punishment. Some of them came back with so many holes, you just wouldn’t believe they’d ever fly again. As a matter of fact, some of them didn’t fly again—but they did land, and the crew walked away.”

4. CHOPPERS MADE A WHOLE NEW MILITARY DIVISION POSSIBLE: AIR CAVALRY. 

Yes, helicopters aided in search and rescue efforts as well as in attacks themselves. But their ubiquity also helped bring about a brand new military division: air cavalry, or light infantry deployed by helicopters. The 1st Cavalry Division arrived in Vietnam in August and September 1965. Its missions included everything from providing recon by going behind enemy lines and conducting raids to providing supplies to ground troops. The Division saw its first (hard-won) victory in late fall of 1965 with the 34-day Drang Valley campaign, in which it located North Vietnamese fighters and engaged in close combat, before being swooped up then dropped elsewhere in swiftly choreographed maneuvers. In 1968, air cavalry were brought in to relieve the U.S. Marines under siege at Khe Sanh during the Communist forces’ Tet Offensive [PDF]. The battle was considered proof of air mobility’s importance and served as a basis for the military’s future AirLand Battle technique, focusing on coordinated land and air attacks.

5. MASSIVE BOMBER PLANES GOT THE U.S. OUT OF THE REGION. 

The U.S. first became entangled in Vietnam warfare through its use of planes, and that’s how the country ultimately ended its involvement, too. The B-52 heavy bomber was developed in the late 1940s by Boeing, and that feat of engineering allowed U.S. forces to drop a volume of bombs unlike anything that had been seen before. (In fact, the B-52 is still in use today, making it the longest running craft in America’s fleet.) It was B-52 bombers—129 of them—that dropped the 20,000-plus tons of explosives on Hanoi and its surrounding areas over the Christmas strike on North Vietnam in 1972. The strike, which was ordered by President Richard Nixon under the name Operation Linebacker II, was meant to force the North Vietnamese back to the table following a failed round of peace talks. As Vietnamese BBC journalist Ha Mi, who was 10 years old at the time, later recalled, “The fighter jets were faster and would only drop one or two bombs, then they were gone.” In contrast, the slower B-52s cast a wider net and terrorized local populations, she said: “Boom, boom, boom, for a longer period of time. It’s more threatening.” The Christmas bombing of Hanoi caused massive Vietnamese casualties, and is typically credited as leading to the Paris Peace Accord—signed the next month and sealing the United States’s withdrawal from the conflict.

6. EVENTUALLY, INTERNATIONAL LAWS CONCERNING CHEMICAL WARFARE WERE ESTABLISHED. 

The U.S.’s heavy reliance on aerial warfare led to arguably the most infamous element of the Vietnam War: widespread chemical warfare in the form of napalm. A chemical compound developed during WWII, napalm is a mixture of a gelling agent and gasoline (or a similar fuel), and releases large amounts of carbon monoxide when it explodes. Its “sticky” property also means that it will cling to surfaces—including human skin—as it burns, making napalm a particularly cruel weapon. In 1980, the United Nations Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons settled on new protocols banning weapons considered both excessively injurious and indiscriminate—i.e., those that might harm civilians, a definition that would cover the incendiary weapon napalm. (Under international law, napalm and similar substances can still be used to attack military targets. Also of note: The U.S. didn’t ratify these protocols until 2009, and it may void its participation if it decides the use of napalm against enemies would save civilian lives.) For decades after the Vietnam War, choosing a method of destroying the excess liquid fire proved difficult, expensive and controversial, and the U.S. housed more than 34,500 canisters of napalm in their original 10-foot bullet-shaped canisters. By 2001, all had been recycled by a firm in Dallas Park, Texas, without incident.

Congratulations—you’ve scored your first job! But while the exhausting search for a full-time gig is over, the real hard part has just begun: Learning to live off the tiny paychecks you’ll likely earn once you start working. The average entry-level salary for Class of 2016 graduates was projected to be nearly $51,000, but plenty of brand-new employees earn well below that level. Here are seven simple tips for managing, saving, and spending money when you don’t have that much of it.

1. THERE’S A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR GROSS PAY AND YOUR NET PAY.

Your salary might sound pretty decent on paper—especially when you’ve never had one before—but keep in mind that number you’ve accepted (your gross pay) is higher than the amount you’ll actually take home each month (your net pay). When you get paid, the money isn’t just going to you. Portions of it also go toward federal, state, Social Security, and Medicare taxes. Other deductions include health insurance payments and retirement savings, like a 401(k), if you choose to put money into one. (You should.) If you aren’t sure how much to contribute, there are plenty of online tools that can help, like this one.

When all is said and done, you will likely only be pocketing 60 to 70 percent of your entire salary. Keep this in mind before planning a budget.

2. FINANCIAL EXPERTS RECOMMEND FOLLOWING THE 50/20/30 BUDGET RULE (WITHIN REASON).

Once you receive your first paycheck, resist the urge to splurge. Instead, sit down with a calculator and figure how much of it needs to go toward essential expenses, and how much can be set aside for fun stuff or saved for a rainy day.

Some financial experts recommend following what they call the 50/20/30 rule. That’s when 50 percent of each paycheck goes toward non-negotiable, “fixed” costs like rent, bills, and groceries; 20 percent of it goes toward savings; and 30 percent is spent on things like personal appearance (clothing, haircuts, etc.), travel, and entertainment.

Keep in mind that this rule isn’t hard and fast, and depends largely upon how much it costs to live in your region. For instance, you’ll likely pay way more cost of living expenses if you live in New York City than if you live in, say, suburban Ohio.

3. STUDENT LOANS CAN BE KEPT IN CHECK WITH THE RIGHT PAYMENT STRATEGY.

If you’re one of the 44 million Americans with student loan debt, the 50/20/30 rule can be particularly difficult to follow. But with a little strategic planning, you can avoid forking over your entire paycheck to education lenders. First, look into refinancing the terms of your loan, which could allow you to pay a lower interest rate and extend the repayment period. Depending on your income, you may also qualify for loan deferment or forbearance. The federal government also offers income-based repayment plans, which limit the percentage of income qualified applicants have to pay towards their loans.

4. YOU CAN ALWAYS FIND A BETTER DEAL FOR COST-OF-LIVING EXPENSES.

Necessary expenses like rent, transportation, and phone bills comprise a large part of your budget, but they aren’t set in stone. Just like you would likely search for contrasting deals while shopping for a TV or a sweater, continue to scan real estate ads for more affordable apartments, and check in with utilities reps to see if any special savings, discounts, or packages are appearing on the horizon. The little things add up too: Consider switching to generic household staples when you hit the grocery store, and ask your HR manager what, if any, pre-tax transportation benefits your company offers.

5. TRACKING YOUR SPENDING HABITS HELPS YOU ADHERE TO YOUR BUDGET.

Never have as much money in your bank account as you’d like? Sit down with your monthly bank statements, and take a long, hard look at your spending habits. You’ll see all the usual monthly bills, but you might notice some surprising patterns.

Do you buy expensive coffee more often than you realize, or splurge on new items right after you receive a paycheck? Recognizing—and curbing—these unplanned and impulse purchases can go a long way toward helping you stay at, or even under, your budget. To stay mindful of them, consider downloading—and using— an app that helps you budget and track expenses.

6. OVERTIME PAY IS YOUR FRIEND.

Clocking long workdays for very little money? If you put in more than 40 hours a work, your boss may be required to pay you overtime, or at least one and one-half times your regular pay. Check to see what the rules are, and if you are guaranteed a paycheck boost, start volunteering to take on additional early and late-night hours.

If you aren’t eligible for overtime, your company may offer other benefits to employees stuck working late. You may be able to expense dinner or a cab ride home.

7. YOU’RE PROBABLY STUCK SCRIMPING FOR A WHILE (BUT DON’T STOP BUDGETING ONCE YOU GET A RAISE).

After initial salary negotiations are made (and first-time budgets are blown), it might seem tempting to ask your boss for a raise only a few months into the job. Sadly, barring an overnight promotion or an extra-generous supervisor, you’re likely stuck with the same pay for the next year or so, as you typically should avoid asking an employer for more money until you’ve survived at least one annual review cycle. (Unless your responsibilities have substantially increased, in which case: Ask for the raise!)

In short, you’re going to be scrimping for a while. Use this period to learn good money habits, and once you do finally get that coveted promotion—and the accompanying bump in salary—you’ll be well on track to financial success. But even though you’ll be making more money, continue to adhere to the 50/20/30 rule, or consider contributing even more money to your savings if you feel like you have the wiggle room.

Over budget? Under budget? What’s a budget?  Answer these questions and more with tools like Slice-a-Budget on Prudential.com.

Antique weapons always draw enthusiastic collectors, often with deep pockets, during sales at the world’s most prestigious auction houses—especially when those weapons belonged to some of history’s most formidable figures. Here are just a handful of historic swords, pistols, and more that made history a second time for their extravagant price tags.

1. F-GRADE A.H. FOX 12 GAUGE // $862,500

Theodore Roosevelt’s Fox shotgun, which he brought along on a 1909 African safari, became the most expensive shotgun ever sold at auction in 2010. That year, the James D. Julia auction house sold the firearm to a private buyer for $862,500—that’s a price tag more than $200,000 higher than any shotgun previously sold.

2. WINCHESTER MODEL 1886 // $1.26 MILLION

As Popular Mechanics reported, a Winchester rifle fetched more than a million dollars at auction for a couple of reasons. For one, it was the very first Winchester model produced that year. But even more importantly, it was gifted to Captain Henry W. Lawton, the man responsible for the tracking and capture of Geronimo.

3. PRESENTATION SWORD // $1.67 MILLION

In 1864, Ulysses S. Grant was presented with a silver and gold diamond-encrusted sword “by the grateful citizens of Kentucky after his assumption as the General in Chief of the United States Army,” according to Heritage Auction Galleries’s curator Dennis Lowe. The sword netted $1,673,000 in a 2007 auction.

4. 19TH CENTURY FLINTLOCK PISTOLS // $1.8 MILLION

These pistols have quite the pedigree. Designed by Nicolas Noël-Boutet, Napoléon’s gunsmith, the Marquis de Lafayette carried them to America, where he befriended George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, and Thomas Jefferson. In 1825, Lafayette presented the guns as gifts to Simón Bolívar, the revolutionary who helped establish South American independence from Spain. In 2015, an anonymous buyer snagged them during an auction at Christie’s for $1.8 million.

5. SADDLE PISTOLS // $1.99 MILLION

Bolívar wasn’t the only comrade Lafayette bestowed fancy weapons on. In 2002, a pair of saddle pistols the French general gave to George Washington sold for a whopping $1,986,000 in an auction at Christie’s. The guns, according to the lot description, feature octagonal-to-round steel barrels with silver-and-gold wire inlay, and a base made from European walnut. Post-auction, the buyer was revealed to be the Richard King Mellon Foundation; the group went on to donate the pistols to Fort Ligonier in Pennsylvania.

6. DAGGER, MUGHAL EMPIRE // $3.3 MILLION

Only a handful of items remain from the reign of Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor (and the Taj Mahal’s creator). One weapon—a dagger forged in 1629 and inscribed with the emperor’s name, title, and the date and place of its manufacture—sold in 2008 for more than twice the starting bid during an auction at Bonham’s, bringing in a cool £1.7 million (around $3.3 million).

7. NAPOLÉON’S SWORD // $6.5 MILLION

This curved steel blade holds the Guinness World Record for most expensive weapon ever sold at auction, and for good reason: It once belonged to Napoléon Bonaparte, who brought it with him to the Battle of Marengo in 1800. The weapon, which features an ebony and gold handle, sold for $6.5 million during a 2007 auction in Fontainebleu, France.

Today’s world was shaped by yesterday’s weapons. Mankind’s ever-evolving arsenal is constantly reshaping our technologies, our political climate, and our relationship with nature. Here are 10 key developments that transformed the planet we call home.    

1. SPEAR-THROWING DEVICES REVOLUTIONIZED HUNTING.

The spear is one of the oldest known tools; in fact, it might even pre-date our species. In 2012, archaeologists recovered the stone tips from some models in South Africa, leading them to conclude that spears were likely invented around 500,000 years ago. Given their extreme age, these were most likely made by Homo heidelbergensis, the ancestor of both Neanderthals and Homo sapiens. Eventually, primitive man paired this ancient weapon with a device that made spears faster, deadlier, and more accurate than ever before. The atlatl—or “spear-thrower”—is an unassuming stick carved out of wood or bone. A hook projects upwards from the rear end while the front comes with a handgrip on the underside. Primitive hunters would grab the handle, place a spear on top of the gadget, and aim it at their target. Then, using a precise sweeping motion, they’d fling the spear forward. By creating extra leverage, the atlatl enabled people to throw these projectiles more forcefully than an unassisted human arm ever could—meaning our ancestors were now free to initiate attacks on dangerous game animals like mammoths and whales from a fair distance away. (The oldest atlatls on record were built in France around 17,500 years ago.)

2. BRONZE WEAPONS ONCE CONQUERED EGYPT.

The Hyksos, a group of conquerors hailing from what is now Palestine, began a gradual takeover of Egypt in about 1700 BCE, thanks in part to their superior technology [PDF]. Their Bronze Age weapons had, by and large, never before been seen in Egypt. The Hyksos introduced the Egyptians to bronze armor and the chariot, and brought with them state-of-the-art axes whose metal heads were affixed to the shaft via a socket. In contrast, Egyptian soldiers still relied on an outdated axe-making technique which involved splitting the axe shaft and then riveting on the head. This put the locals at a big disadvantage because while their axe blades were liable to fly off mid-swing, those of the Hyksos remained firmly attached. Ironically, the Hyksos’s advanced weaponry was later used by southern Egyptian rebels to drive them out once and for all in 1521 BCE.

3. GREEK FIRE HELPED PROTECT THE BYZANTINES.

Many historians credit the Byzantine Empire with shielding western Europe from Arabic and Turkish advances. It fended off enemies thanks, in part, to antiquity’s most mysterious chemical weapon: Greek fire. The composition of this substance was a well-guarded secret; today’s experts can only speculate about what its ingredients might have been. Potent enough to burn on the ocean’s surface, it was almost impossible to extinguish. In 941 CE, the Byzantines used this magic elixir to decimate a Rus naval fleet on the Black Sea. Similarly, in the eighth century CE, Greek fire helped thwart an attempted Arabic naval siege of Constantinople, the Byzantine Empire’s capital city. To launch and ignite the incendiary mixture, Byzantine troops could pump it into clay or ceramic containers which—like modern grenades—violently exploded when hurled against a target. Another delivery method involved expelling jets of Greek fire-induced blazes through an early kind of flamethrower.

4. LONGBOWS BROUGHT ABOUT THE END OF AN ERA.

Medieval history buffs love to talk about the game-changing Battle of Crecy. Waged in a French village of the same name on August 26, 1346, the contest pitted about 10,000 Englishmen against a Gallic force of 40,000 to 50,000. Although they were outnumbered, the English managed to keep their own casualties down to roughly 300 soldiers while the French lost somewhere between 8,000 and 10,000 men—along with the battle. The key to England’s success was a newly-adopted weapon: the dreaded longbow. Originally designed by the Welsh, the English army first began using them in the 1330s, during the reign of King Edward III. At a time when most bows didn’t exceed four feet in length, the typical longbow stretched six feet from end to end, and could easily shoot down opponents from 180 yards away with enough force to penetrate chain mail. Because of its power, the introduction of the longbow changed the rules of European warfare. Previously, mounted cavalries had been considered the most important part of a medieval military campaign. But longbows were a good deal cheaper than—and tended to make short work of—horses. As a result, equestrian knights gradually found themselves replaced by skilled archers and foot soldiers, who were mostly peasants—a fact that would profoundly affect the continent’s economic future.

5. GUNPOWDER CONQUERED CONTINENTS …

You’d be hard-pressed to name an invention that’s had as big an impact on the course of human events. Gunpowder was born in China at some point during the ninth century CE. It’s generally thought that the substance was first produced when local alchemists mixed charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate as part of a medical experiment. “In China, you still see people who sometimes use gunpowder as a medicine,” says historian Laichen Sun, who adds, “It didn’t take long for the Chinese to see that this new elixir also could have a practical application in war.” Indeed, by the year 1232 CE, China had started using primitive, gunpowder-based grenades and landmines to ward off Mongolian invaders. (The Mongols, in turn, are often credited with introducing the material to India, Europe, and the Middle East.) Within the next few centuries, handheld firearms—the tools that, among many other things, enabled European explorers to conquer the Americas—had also come into being.  

6. … AND CANNONFIRE SHAPED BORDERS. 

In medieval Europe, noble families often lived behind castle walls, which had the effect of handicapping any attempt at centralized governance. If, say, a French baron were to disregard his king’s orders, he could avoid suffering any consequences simply by hiding behind the walls of his estate. Back then, laying siege to one of these buildings was a difficult and time-consuming task with a miniscule chance of success, even for the biggest medieval forces. But when large gunpowder weapons started to appear on the continent, they changed this whole equation. During the 15th and 16th centuries, massive cannons—along with strategically-placed mines—efficiently breached previously impenetrable castle walls. To defend themselves from such assaults, noblemen now had to rely on standing armies. Paying for all those troops required enormous tax bases—the kind that only large, centralized governments could preside over. This incentivized monarchs to start consolidating power within their kingdoms and develop the first European nation-states.

7. “MINIE BALLS” POPULARIZED RIFLES.

Although rifles have been around since the 1400s, they didn’t become popular combat weapons until fairly recently. That’s because, for centuries, loading them was a real pain. Early rifle ammo had to have the same diameter as the barrel’s interior, meaning soldiers would need to forcefully ram every bullet down the rifle’s shaft. Then along came Claude-Étienne Minié, a French army captain who changed rifle usage forever. In 1849, Minié created a lead, conical bullet with an opening at the base. Unlike most rifle ammo, he designed these to be a bit smaller in diameter than the barrels they were intended for, meaning a soldier could drop one into his gun with ease. Once the trigger was pulled, the bullet’s bottom would expand—at which point, it’d catch the grooves and start spiraling. Just like that, Minié made rifles a lot more user-friendly. His new bullets, referred to as “Minié balls,” offered reliable, long-range accuracy, which was first capitalized on by the British during the Crimean War (1853-1856). Later on, both Union and Confederate forces adopted them in the American Civil War, which contributed to the conflict’s utter devastation.

8. TANKS BECAME A BATTLEFIELD STAPLE.

On September 15, 1916, a World War I standoff between British and German soldiers in northern France became the first battle in history to feature tanks, when the British turned up with 49 of them. Weighing 28 tons apiece, the gargantuan vehicles could each hold a crew of eight men and sported a combination of light machine guns and heavier firearms. At first, they didn’t impress. Though the tanks were built to roll across every obstacle from trenches to barbed wire, all but 22 broke down before reaching the front lines. And of those that did reach their destination, seven stopped working once the fighting began in earnest. Despite these inauspicious beginnings, the tank would go on to play a major role in the Second World War; the 1941 Battle of Brody alone featured 800 Axis-built ones and 3500 Russian models. 

9. AK-47s DEFINED MODERN WARFARE …

Earlier inventors (including Richard Gatling and Hiram Maxim) paved the way for semi-automatic and automatic weapons like Mikhail Kalashnikov’s AK-47. But as author C.J. Chivers argues, none of these devices shaped modern warfare quite like the lightweight, low-cost, easy-to-manufacture Kalashnikov. Its development coincided with nuclear proliferation, and while nuclear weapons “served to freeze borders in place and prevent total war … the Kalashnikov percolated from state to state, army to army, group to group and man to man and became the principle firearm used for modern war and political violence, in all of its many forms,” Chivers says. Because the weapon was given designation as an official Soviet firearm, the gun was produced in huge quantities and shipped all over the USSR—whether people wanted them or not. From there the weapons circulated around the globe, and served as inspiration for countless copycats eager to harness the AK-47’s power for themselves. “The Kalashnikov, in actual practice over the past 60-plus years, has proven much more deadly” than “big-ticket weapons” like submarines or atomic bombs, Chivers points out. “But it gets a lot less official attention.” 

10. … AND NUCLEAR WEAPONRY SHAPED INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS.

No list of history-altering technologies would be complete without acknowledging the first atomic bombs and their ongoing political aftermath. In August 1945, a pair of these weapons were dropped onto the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killing more than 200,000 people by some estimates. From there, the United States and Soviet Union began their decades-long nuclear arms race which resulted in both superpowers stockpiling enough of these devices to destroy the planet several times over. Today, nine countries are known to have at least one such weapon at their disposal.

Earning a degree usually entails sitting in classes, meeting with fellow students in study groups and stopping by your professor’s office to ask questions. But online universities allow students to earn a degree or certificate without attending classes in person or meeting instructors face-to-face. Although some people are still skeptical of online education, more and more students are opting to learn this way. Take a look at these nine common myths about online degrees.

1. THE MYTH: THEY’RE NOT AS VALID AS “REAL” DEGREES.

Contrary to popular opinion, most online programs offer rigorous curriculum and personalized instruction. And attitudes about the quality of online education are shifting; in addition to online-only institutions, many top-ranked universities now offer online and distance learning courses as well.

2. THE MYTH: THE COURSEWORK IS EASIER.

Accredited online programs offer coursework that is just as challenging as what you’d get in a traditional in-person class. While online students may have more scheduling flexibility, they still have to complete assignments on time, participate in discussions and study the same curriculum as traditional students.

Some people think that students opt for an online degree because they’re too lazy to get dressed and show up to class, but most online students actually have high levels of self-discipline. Because they’re not in the same room as their professor and fellow students, online students must manage their time well (often while juggling a job or other commitments) and motivate themselves to engage with the material to do their best.

3. THE MYTH: THEY’RE ONLY MEANT FOR PART-TIME STUDENTS.

It’s true that many students choose online degree programs because they need to continue working while they obtain their degrees. But, just as traditional colleges run on a quarter, trimester or semester schedule, online degree programs follow a set schedule that may require a significant amount of study and class time. Students can typically choose to attend part-time or full-time, and both represent a significant time requirement. Online students must regularly participate in online discussions, work on group projects and meet due dates and deadlines.

4. THE MYTH: STUDENTS SUFFER WITHOUT FACE TIME WITH THEIR PROFESSORS.

Although they’re not in the same room as their professors, online students have plenty of opportunities to interact with them. Besides asking questions about the material via email and online chat, online students may also talk to their professors on the phone, communicate via video chat or have lengthy discussions on message boards. Some professors even offer online office hours to give students personalized attention and another opportunity to connect one-on-one.

5. THE MYTH: CHEATING IS RAMPANT.

It’s definitely easier to cheat on an exam when you take it at home without a proctor. But studies show online students don’t cheat more than traditional students. To prevent cheating, some online students have to turn on their webcam when taking timed tests, and professors use software to detect plagiarism, just as professors at traditional colleges do. And frequent assignments throughout the semester give professors a good idea of the quality of a student’s thoughts and writing, so they can easily spot any deviation from the norm.

6. THE MYTH: STUDENTS DON’T GET TO INTERACT WITH THEIR PEERS.

Online students don’t sit next to their fellow students in class, but they do have opportunities to exchange ideas, debate issues and socialize. Students are often assigned group projects, which provides them an opportunity to learn from each other and collaborate. Students can talk to one another in live chats, discussion boards and video chat.

7. THE MYTH: STUDENTS CAN’T TRANSFER CREDITS TO ANOTHER SCHOOL.

Not all students who start studying at one school finish their studies there, so the ability to transfer credits, which can save students time and money, is important. Different online degree programs have varying rules, but most students can transfer any credits they earn in an accredited online program to another school, online or not. Students should check with their new school to determine specific requirements for transferring credits.

8. THE MYTH: STUDENTS WON’T BENEFIT FROM THE SCHOOL’S AUXILIARY SERVICES.

On-campus students have convenient access to their school’s auxiliary services such as libraries, career counseling centers and job placement offices. But online students can also take advantage of these services. They can access digital books by logging on to their school’s library website, discuss course requirements with their academic advisor over email or talk to a career counselor over video chat. Some online students who live within driving distance of a campus may also have the option to visit a library or have a meeting with faculty members in person.

9. THE MYTH: ALUMNI WON’T GET A GOOD JOB.

Although employers and hiring managers once dismissed most job candidates with online degrees, attitudes towards such candidates are shifting. Today, fewer employers view candidates with online degrees with skepticism. To encourage their current employees to learn new skills, some employers even pay for them to participate in a part-time online degree or certificate program.

There’s no need to put your life on hold while you work towards your Master’s degree. Florida Tech offers in-demand programs—including an MBA—online, which gives you the flexibility to study on your own time. Click here to learn more about the convenience of online learning with Florida Tech.

Between classes, extracurriculars, and social activities, most college students have no trouble staying busy. Building credit may be low on their list of priorities, but that doesn’t mean it’s too early to start thinking about it. Being mindful of credit as a young adult can make it easier to land a car and a place to live, and secure lower interest rates on loans. Here are some steps that will set you on the path to stellar credit for the times when you need it most.

1. KNOW YOUR CREDIT SCORE.

The first step to building excellent credit is learning your credit score. Even without car payments or credit cards to pay off, anyone with student loans will have a credit history. A federal law makes it easy to check credit reports from the three main reporting agencies online. Annual reports are free, but according to a recent survey only half of college students take advantage of them. Having an idea of your credit score isn’t the only reason to check it: The report may contain mistakes or traces of fraud you weren’t aware of. Staying on top of your credit status means you can take care of any complications before they become an issue.

If you haven’t been checking your report because you’re afraid doing so will lower your score, fear not: When you check your score yourself, you’re initiating what’s called a “soft” credit inquiry. These kinds of inquiries do not have an adverse effect on your credit score—only the hard inquiries conducted by financial institutions do. (Generally speaking, a hard inquiry can only happen with your consent.)

2. FIND THE RIGHT CARD.

Contrary to popular belief, using a debit card exclusively isn’t a savvy financial move. Responsible credit card use shows credit agencies that you can be trusted to make payments on time. But deciding that you want an extra card in your wallet is half the battle—next you’ll need to narrow down your choices. First and foremost, compare the interest rates on different cards—the lower, the better. Next, consider the extras. Some companies offer cards designed for students with perks like rewards for good grades. Not every student will qualify, however—especially those without any income or bad to nonexistent credit history. If this sounds like your situation, a secured credit card may be your best bet. Cardholders are required to put down a refundable deposit to back up their line of credit; that way they can work on building credit while giving the card company some peace of mind.

3. BECOME AN AUTHORIZED USER ON SOMEONE ELSE’S ACCOUNT.

For some students, signing up for a secured card is still a big leap into adulthood. Becoming an authorized user on your parents’ account is one way to make the transition a little smoother. Authorized users aren’t the primary holders of their account, but they do receive a card of their own they can use as they like. If your parents practice responsible credit habits then your score will receive a boost as a result. But keep in mind that the reverse is also true, so this option may not be a smart fit for every family.

4. SETTLE FOR ONE CARD.

Having a credit card and actually using it are important steps towards building credit, but you don’t want to go overboard. Apply for multiple cards at once and you risk jeopardizing your credit score before it has a chance to grow. Instead, focus on dealing with one card for now with the possibility of applying for another later in life.

5. DON’T LET IT GO UNUSED.

So you successfully applied for a credit card—now comes the time to actually use it. If your card stays untouched in your wallet for months on end you’re no better off credit-wise than you were without it. But using your card wisely is a careful balancing act: You don’t want to use it for too much too often or you’ll end up in debt. Rather than breaking out your card randomly and accidentally spending beyond your means, pick one monthly expense to charge to it. This could mean gas, groceries, utilities—anything you know you’ll be able to pay off once your credit card bill arrives.

6. PAY OFF THE REST OF YOUR BILLS.

Your card payment record isn’t the only factor that can damage your credit score. Late payments made for other bills, like cable, doctors visits, and utilities, can all come back to haunt you when credit agencies are evaluating your history. Everything down to the smallest debts can have an impact, including that late fee you never paid your hometown library. Get in the habit of quickly paying what you owe early in life so it doesn’t become an issue down the road.

7. GET A CREDIT-BUILDER LOAN.

Before you’re ready to take out a loan on a house or a car, a credit-builder loan can serve as a good practice run. Like the name suggests, credit-builder loans exist to give people with little experience dealing with credit the chance to gain some. They’re usually lent out by credit unions, nonprofits, and small banks. When the customer receives the small loan (typically around $500 to $1500) it’s locked in an account until it’s repaid. A successfully paid-off account can be shown as proof to credit bureaus that you’re able to make punctual payments.

8. MAKE YOUR RENT PAYMENTS COUNT.

If you rent your place and pay your rent on time every month, consider signing up for a service that will report these payments. While this won’t impact all of your scores—different credit agencies may access different information in their calculations—this could be the boost you need in the eyes of certain lenders.

For more ideas on how to handle your debt and build financial wellness, visit Prudential.com.

Students attend graduate school to gain more knowledge in a specific field, increase their future earning power, or switch careers. But depending on the type and length of the program, grad schools can cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars. Whether you’re planning to get your master’s, Ph.D., MBA, or J.D. degree, here are nine things you should know about paying for grad school.

1. START RESEARCHING YOUR OPTIONS EARLY.

If you know what type of graduate program you want to attend, start researching your options early. Different schools offer a variety of scholarships, fellowships, grants and department funding, and starting the application process early will increase your odds of receiving money from a university’s limited funds. After reading about your options on the university’s website, speak to a representative from the school’s financial aid department.

2. CONSIDER STUDYING PART-TIME FOR YOUR DEGREE.

If you’re willing to spend more time earning your degree, consider taking classes part-time instead of as a full-time student. Depending on the program, earning your degree part-time may cost less than a full-time program, and you won’t lose a year (or more) of income while you’re studying.

3. DON’T OVERLOOK YOUR PROFESSORS.

If you’re currently in college, ask professors in your area of study to recommend relevant scholarships, fellowships or grants for which you could apply. Even if you graduated years ago, get in touch with your old professors to benefit from their knowledge and contacts. And because most scholarship applications require letters of recommendation, your professors can also help by vouching for you.

4. ASK YOUR EMPLOYER TO FUND YOU.

If you’re currently working and your graduate degree will be in the same field, check with your company’s human resources department to determine if there is a tuition assistance or reimbursement program. Even if your company doesn’t have a formal policy in place, don’t be afraid to ask about getting a salary advance or time off for studying. Keep in mind, though, that in exchange for funding, your employer may require you to maintain a high GPA or work for them for a certain amount of time after you get your degree.

5. THINK ABOUT MOVING STATES.

Because many grad schools charge less tuition for in-state rather than out-of-state students, consider moving. Depending on the state, you may be able to establish residency in six months to a year. If it’s not feasible to move states before you begin your program, you may be able to apply for in-state status after a year of living in-state. Some schools also offer in-state tuition to residents of nearby states as part of a regional college exchange.

6. APPLY TO WORK AS A TEACHING ASSISTANT.

Depending on the university, grad students who work as teaching or research assistants may get health insurance in addition to part-time wages. To get free or reduced room and board, consider working as a resident assistant, living in a dorm and being responsible for a group of undergraduates.

7. CHOOSE WISELY BETWEEN FEDERAL AND PRIVATE LOANS.

The federal government offers grad students loans with fixed interest rates, while private lenders and banks offer student loans with variable interest rates. This means the interest rates on private loans may start lower, but have the ability to rise. When they do, you may need to refinance your private loans to get a better rate, and private loans often have fewer, less flexible repayment options than federal loans.

8. WORK IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR TO QUALIFY FOR LOAN FORGIVENESS.

If you opt for a federal student loan, consider working in the public sector after you graduate. Thanks to a loan forgiveness program, the government will forgive the rest of your debt after you make your monthly payments for 10 years. The catch? You must work full-time for the government or a not-for-profit organization. Some grad schools offer their own forgiveness programs to graduates, rewarding those who choose careers in teaching, healthcare or not-for-profits.

9. REMEMBER TO CLAIM RELEVANT TAX CREDITS AND DEDUCTIONS.

Grad students can take a variety of tax credits and deductions depending on their financial situation. Before you file your tax return, make sure you have a solid understanding of the requirements for taking any deductions for grad school. Ask an accountant if you qualify for the lifetime learning tax credit, student loan interest deduction or tuition deduction.

Florida Tech’s online programs offer flexibility and affordability via scholarships and financial aid packages for qualified applicants. Click here to learn more about Florida Tech’s online graduate degrees.

Robotic inventions have fascinated, amazed, and helped humans for thousands of years. Here are seven of history’s greatest self-operating machines.

1. ARCHYTAS’S STEAM-POWERED PIGEON

Nobody knows who created history’s first robot, but some historians claim it was Archytas, an ancient Greek mathematician who constructed a steam-powered wooden pigeon between 400 and 350 BCE. The robotic bird could reportedly “fly” for more than 650 feet along a wire suspension line before running out of steam.

2. LEONARDO DA VINCI’S PROGRAMMABLE CART

One of Leonardo da Vinci’s most famous inventions was a human-like robot resembling a Germanic knight, which Leonardo drew (and possibly built) around 1495. But years earlier, around 1478, the polymath envisioned a self-propelled cart that many experts now consider to be history’s first programmable automaton.

Instead of steam power or an internal combustion engine, the car-like vehicle was powered by a wound-up spring, and ran on clockwork. The cart’s operator could also make the wheels turn at specific points in time during a journey by placing pegs into small holes.

In 2004, Italian experts teamed up with computer designers, engineers, and carpenters to make a real-life model of Leonardo’s moving machine. Lo and behold, it operated as he originally intended. (Experts demonstrated a one-third scale replica of the cart, fearing a full-size replica of the powerful vehicle would crash and harm someone.)

3. THE MECHANICAL TURK

In 1770, inventor Wolfgang von Kempelen built the Mechanical Turk—a life-size, chess-playing automaton, clad in traditional Turkish garments—to entertain Empress Maria Theresa of Austria. There was just one catch: The machine was a fraud.

The Mechanical Turk sat at a wooden cabinet filled with cogs, gears, and other mechanisms, with a chessboard on top. More often than not, the automaton won a match, and it even traveled across Europe and America, playing against (and beating) luminaries like Napoleon Bonaparte and Benjamin Franklin.

Naysayers suspected the machine didn’t operate independently, and they were right. Von Kempelen (and later, an engineer named Johann Maelzel, who purchased the Turk from Von Kempelen) recruited talented chess players who hid inside the Mechanical Turk’s cabinet and operated the Turk’s arm with levers. These gamers likely hid in the back of the wooden cabinet’s bottom drawer, so people examining the Turk’s inner workings couldn’t see them, and the gamers climbed into the Turk’s main chamber right before the chess match began.

When Maelzel died, a man named John Kearsley Mitchell acquired the Turk and donated it to the Chinese Museum in Philadelphia. The automaton was destroyed in a fire in 1854, and three years later, Mitchell’s son, Silas, demystified the Turk’s inner workings in a series of articles for a chess magazine.

Even though the Mechanical Turk was an elaborate hoax, its existence still spurred important conversations about the nature of machines, and whether they could be designed to think—questions which inventors still grapple with today.

4. A ROBOT WITH REASONING CAPABILITIES

From 1966 through 1972, researchers at a top West Coast research institution developed the world’s first mobile robot with reasoning capabilities. By today’s standards, the robot looked primitive: Its movements were jerky, and it resembled a clunky stack of metal cabinets. Still, its capabilities were impressive: The bot could break down general commands into step-by-step actions to accomplish a goal, and it also came equipped with programs for seeing, reasoning, and acting. You could even “talk” to the robot by typing into a keyboard, and it would reply back.

In 1970, one popular magazine called the robot the world’s “first electronic person.” Today, it’s remembered as the device that helped pioneer modern robotics and AI technology.

5. A ROBOTIC FACTORY ARM

History’s first industrial robot was a 4000-pound mechanized factory arm, designed to reduce injuries among employees. In 1961, a major U.S. auto manufacturer added the technology to a New Jersey plant’s assembly line, where it took die castings from machines and performed welding on auto bodies. It ended up paving the way for other industrial robots that help make factory work easier, safer, and more efficient.

6. A ROBOT THAT EXPLORES THE OCEAN INDEPENDENTLY

The ocean is one of the last unexplored places on Earth —but thanks to advances in robotic technology, that’s sure to change. In 1995, America’s largest oceanographic research institution completed the first independently operating underwater robot, created to monitor large expanses of ocean for extended periods of time. The robot can collect samples, take photos and video, and survey bottom environments at depths of more than 1600 feet with sensors and tools.

7. THE FIRST ROBOT TO EXPLORE MARS

On July 4, 1997, the Mars Pathfinder’s Sojourner rover landed on Mars. The lightweight robot-on-wheels was programmed to explore the Red Planet for NASA—and more importantly, it was able to make its own decisions and respond accordingly to unpredictable encounters.

Sojourner took pictures of Mars, took chemical and atmospheric measurements, collected samples, and explored nearly 2700 square feet of the planet’s soil.

In all, Sojourner operated for 83 days before NASA flight teams lost contact with it— around 12 times longer than scientists expected. Today, the tiny machine is remembered as the first rover to explore outside the Earth-Moon system.

Robots have been making history for thousands of years. Their latest milestone? Neato Robotic vacuums, which you can operate using just your smartphone—even when you’re miles away. Visit Neato Robotics to learn more.