The song "Auld Lang Syne" is most known for the times it is sung at New Year's celebrations. It is sung all over the world, mostly in English-speaking countries, but it's popularity has been growing beyond those borders. It is a song that calls upon the listener to think about old times and asks if they should be forgotten; it is generally agreed upon that the meaning is that people should not forget the past or old friendships.
The song itself was originally a poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to a traditional folk song. The term Auld Lang Syne had been used in other poems that predated Burns's: Robert Ayton (who died in 1638), Allan Ramsay (who died in 1757), and James Watson. Watson wrote a poem in 1711 called "Old Long Syne" and the first words of the first stanza are almost identical. It has become generally accepted that Burns copied the first two lines of Watson's poem, but he created the rest on his own.
The term "Auld Lang Syne" is a Scottish phrase that translates into English literally as "old long since", which can be thought of as "long long ago", "days gone by", or "old times". The chorus uses the line "For auld lang syne", which could be translated as for the sake of old times".
The song is Scottish in origin, and it became the tradition at New Year's to sing. The song quickly spread to England, Ireland, and Wales. As members of the British Isles emigrated across the world, they took the song with them. Beginning in 1929, the band leader Guy Lombardo is credited with popularizing the song as a tradition in America because of his shows on radio and television. "Auld Lang Syne" became his signature song on his shows, and he went on to record the song twice (1939 and 1947). There are accounts of the song in America sooner (such as a newspaper article from Massachusetts in 1896 entitled "Holiday Parties at Lenox"), but sometimes it isn't who came first, it's who's remembered.
"Auld Lang Syne" is thought of as a song of sadness and a song of joy, depending on the event that it is sung/played at. Most people think of this song as a New Year's only song; however, there are many other events that the song has been used for. Some of these are as follows: farewells, funerals, graduations, end of Boy Scout gatherings, new government elections, retail store closings, and the lowering of the Union Jack when a British colony achieves independence. In the British Isles, the song is closely associated with Robert Burns, and is sung/played at memorials and remembrances of Burns.
Either way it is used, the song evokes memories and changes in life, and any change brings new beginnings. So, for that fitting idea, here's the first three stanzas of James Watson's "Old Long Syne" (1711):
Should Old Acquaintance be forgot,
and never thought upon;
The flames of Love extinguished,
and fully past and gone:
Is thy sweet Heart now grown so cold,
that loving Breast of thine;
That thou canst never once reflect
on Old long syne.
My Heart is ravisht with delight,
when thee I think upon;
All Grief and Sorrow takes the flight,
and speedily is gone;
The bright resemblance of thy Face,
so fills this, Heart of mine;
That Force nor Fate can me displease,
for Old long syne.
Since thoughts of thee doth banish grief,
when from thee I am gone;
will not thy presence yield relief,
to this sad Heart of mine:
Why doth thy presence me defeat,
with excellence divine?
Especially when I reflect
on Old long syne
See you in 2012! Keep on the lookout for more expendablenlightenment!
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Saturday, December 24, 2011
The Twinkling Lights
Every holiday season, people adorn their Christmas trees, the outside of their houses, trees and bushes outside, fireplace mantles, and other places with strands of little lights. These lights are commonly called "Christmas lights", even though the exact same strands of lights can be and are used for other holidays. But where did these lights come from?
The use of putting a form of light on a tree came in the form of candles in the mid-1600's in Germany. People attached these candles to the tree brances by melting a small amount of wax onto the tree branch and placing the candle on it. Some people also used pins to attach the candles to the branches. Over the next two hundred years, the tradition caught on all across Europe. By the 1890's, the first candleholders were developed for Christmas trees. In some places today, candles are still used. It was only because of the availability of and cheap supply of electricity.
The first documented case of Christmas tree lights on a Christmas tree was at the home of an associate of Thomas Edison in 1882. He had 80 hand-wired light bulbs (each the size of a walnut) on a Christmas tree. The bulbs were colored red, white, and blue. The New York newspapers refused to run an article on the lights, claiming it was a publicity stunt, but other newspapers did, and the idea spread. By 1900, many businesses began using Christmas lights to illuminate their storefronts and windows. The lights were too expensive for several years for the average person, so candles were still used by most US citizens until after 1930.
Christmas lights used outside is a bit more of a contentious issue. There were recorded instances of using Christmas lights outside dating back to 1904, but the idea of decorating evergreen trees outside is credited to McAdenville, North Carolina in 1956. However, that same year, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree began using electric lights, and so did Philadelphia's Christmas Light Show. The Library of Congress credits McAdenville as being the first, but not everyone agrees. Either way, the use of outside lights for the average household didn't begin until the mid-1950's when the prices became cheap enough.
One other story about Christmas lights is about fairy lights. In London in 1882, the Savoy Theatre's opening night of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta "Iolanthe" was a historical one. The previous year, the Savoy became the first building in the world to be lit entirely by eletricity. In keeping with that motif, Richard D'Oyly Carte (the owner of the Savoy) equipped a number of the fairies in the play with light bulbs supplied by the Swan United Electric Lamp Company, the same company that supplied the lights for the theatre the previous year. The term fairy lights was born. To this day, what we call a string of electric Christmas lights in America is commonly called fairy lights in England.
Bet you didn't know that!
The use of putting a form of light on a tree came in the form of candles in the mid-1600's in Germany. People attached these candles to the tree brances by melting a small amount of wax onto the tree branch and placing the candle on it. Some people also used pins to attach the candles to the branches. Over the next two hundred years, the tradition caught on all across Europe. By the 1890's, the first candleholders were developed for Christmas trees. In some places today, candles are still used. It was only because of the availability of and cheap supply of electricity.
The first documented case of Christmas tree lights on a Christmas tree was at the home of an associate of Thomas Edison in 1882. He had 80 hand-wired light bulbs (each the size of a walnut) on a Christmas tree. The bulbs were colored red, white, and blue. The New York newspapers refused to run an article on the lights, claiming it was a publicity stunt, but other newspapers did, and the idea spread. By 1900, many businesses began using Christmas lights to illuminate their storefronts and windows. The lights were too expensive for several years for the average person, so candles were still used by most US citizens until after 1930.
Christmas lights used outside is a bit more of a contentious issue. There were recorded instances of using Christmas lights outside dating back to 1904, but the idea of decorating evergreen trees outside is credited to McAdenville, North Carolina in 1956. However, that same year, the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree began using electric lights, and so did Philadelphia's Christmas Light Show. The Library of Congress credits McAdenville as being the first, but not everyone agrees. Either way, the use of outside lights for the average household didn't begin until the mid-1950's when the prices became cheap enough.
One other story about Christmas lights is about fairy lights. In London in 1882, the Savoy Theatre's opening night of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta "Iolanthe" was a historical one. The previous year, the Savoy became the first building in the world to be lit entirely by eletricity. In keeping with that motif, Richard D'Oyly Carte (the owner of the Savoy) equipped a number of the fairies in the play with light bulbs supplied by the Swan United Electric Lamp Company, the same company that supplied the lights for the theatre the previous year. The term fairy lights was born. To this day, what we call a string of electric Christmas lights in America is commonly called fairy lights in England.
Bet you didn't know that!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Any ideas?
Sometimes, it's not easy to come up with questions to ask, and then to go out and find the answer to. Sometimes, it's easy to find unusual things such as myths or commonly held beliefs that can be questioned. Sometimes, one is willing to accept some suggestions for future postings.
If you find anything that you'd like researched for expendablenlightenment, feel free to send an email! In the Introduction section of the About Me page, an email address is listed, so if you'd like something that would fit in with expendablenlightenment to be discussed, send an email. If you look back at previous postings, you'll see what types of expendablenlightenment have been discussed. Metro's Info-Nation is always looking for new topics!
Thanks for reading!
If you find anything that you'd like researched for expendablenlightenment, feel free to send an email! In the Introduction section of the About Me page, an email address is listed, so if you'd like something that would fit in with expendablenlightenment to be discussed, send an email. If you look back at previous postings, you'll see what types of expendablenlightenment have been discussed. Metro's Info-Nation is always looking for new topics!
Thanks for reading!
Monday, December 19, 2011
The Volstead Act Failure
Have you ever heard of the Volstead Act? It was written mostly by Wayne Wheeler, but the one who pushed it through Congress was Andrew Volstead, who was Chairman for the House Judiciary Committee from 1919 to 1923. Wheeler was the head lobbyist and lawyer for the National Anti-Saloon League. Figured out what the Volstead Act is yet? Some people call it the greatest failure in American legislation, and some call it the greatest thing ever that has gone away.
The Volstead Act was the informal name for the National Prohibition Act, which became the 18th Amendment to the Constitution in 1919. Originally vetoed by President Woodrow Wilson, the House overturned his veto, followed a day later by the Senate. The federal law would override any state law on prohibition, and would go on to 1.) prohibit the practice of intoxicating any beverages, 2.) regulate the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol, and 3.) promote its use in scientific endeavors such as uses in fuel, dyes, and other similar industries. It also went on to explain that no one could make, sell, transport, trade, export, or import any liquor except those authorized by the federal government. In case you're wondering, the law determined that anything over 0.5% by volume was to be illegal.
What were the flaws in this law? Several.
1.) Organized crime soared. Suddenly small-time criminals became huge gangsters. People with names of Al Capone and the like began to creep up and organized crime became everywhere. Chicago became the most imfamous of American cities for its crime. Some called it the Old West city of the 20th Century. Gang crimes and murders became a normal happening by the late-20's.
2.) Studies done later showed alcohol consumption rose. It's a simple thing to measure; if you make something illegal, then they will want it even more. Not many stopped consuming it, they just hid it better. And instead of stopping, they drank as much as they could because they never knew where their liquor would come from the next week. Like the old saying "drank like it was going out of style".
3.) Prohibition was only enforceable in US waters. Boats would line up just a couple miles off shore in International waters and wait. People would get in their boats and go out to these alcohol boats and shop from one boat to the next to find the best deal. The loaded boats coming to shore could be stopped, but very few were.
4.) There was hypocritical side to the law. Some people have argued that the original intent of the law was meant to keep beer and wine legal and everything else illegal. But when the final draft was made making all liquor illegal, high members of Congress would continue to have their parties with alcohol. Some of the members of Congress who voted for the Volstead Act could be seen having champagne or gin at parties.
5.) Not all states chose to enforce the law equally. The Volstead Act was a federal law, which supersedes all state laws, however the federal government didn't want to give up any of its money or resources to enforce the law. They proposed the states should enforce the law. The states, however, didn't want to give up their money and resources to enforce a federal law. So, in the end, some states were strict about the law, and some were lax. Maryland's governor made a comment that his state wouldn't be a dry state, it would be "as wet as the Atlantic Ocean".
6.) Corruption ran rampant. Bootleggers and speakeasies (the hidden bars that required a password for entry) would pay off the police for non-interference. The cops then could be seen wearing furs and gold becuase of all the money they were pulling out of the hidden bars. Most of these cops could have free alcohol on top the money they were paid. Many of the rural sheriffs and police were sympathetic to the bootleggers, so they would sometimes protect them and let them know if anyone else was coming to town to interfere with the bootlegging.
7.) The illegal bars were like a cancer. If the police would close one urban speakeasy, then five more would pop up. It's hard to close every bar if you can never keep them closed permanently.
8.) The press wasn't behind Prohibition. There were higher class magazines such as The New Yorker that would send their journalists to try out the speakeasies and report on how classy, interesting, and fun the bars were. It's hard for the public to stay behind these illegal places if they sounded so grand.
9.) The health risks involved. When people were making illegal liquor, they would somtimes cut some corners, and when that happened, things that shouldn't be in the alcohol would make it in. Types of poisons and toxins would make their way into the bootlegged liquor, and many people became violently ill and quite a few ended up dying from the bad combinations. There have been stories that members who were enforcing the Volstead Act actually purposefully poisoned the alcohol they found so that the people drinking it would become sick and never have any again.
10.) The Act itself was unenforceable. The original act was created by temperance movements, religious groups, and some special interest organizations (and even the KKK). It was pushed on by the Republicans, and typically by conservatives in general. The combinations of everything said above all combined to create a law that was a moral law, and morality cannot be imposed on a society. By the time the early 30's, many people who believed in the benefits of the law at the beginning of the 20's had changed their minds completely. They learned that all the law had done was create a state of hypocrisy that was much more corrupt and despicable than a land of liquor.
The good thing about Prohibition is that it joined groups of people that hadn't congregated before. Originally, only white males would visit a bar, but all races and genders would join together to enjoy what was now illegal. It allowed women to leave the house and enjoy themselves, and it allowed all races to be equal in a single room. It was snapshot to a very progressive possible future in the US.
The single largest hurdle to repealing Prohibition (and one that the supporters of the law repeatedly mentioned) was that since Prohibition was a Constitutional Amendment, it wouldn't just go away, and no Amendment had ever been repealed before. The stock market crash in 1929 began to push the talks of repealing Prohibition into the consciousness of most of America. In February 1933, Congress passed the Blaine Act which would abolish the 18th Amendment as long as enough states voted for it. In December, Utah became the 36th state to approve the Blaine Act, which became the 21st Amendment, and repealed the 18th Amendment. Control of alcohol went on the the states. In 1935, the Federal Alcohol Administration was created to have limited control over the alcohol industry, but not anything like the way the Volstead Act had intended during the years of 1919 to 1933.
Bet you didn't know that!
The Volstead Act was the informal name for the National Prohibition Act, which became the 18th Amendment to the Constitution in 1919. Originally vetoed by President Woodrow Wilson, the House overturned his veto, followed a day later by the Senate. The federal law would override any state law on prohibition, and would go on to 1.) prohibit the practice of intoxicating any beverages, 2.) regulate the manufacture, sale, and transportation of alcohol, and 3.) promote its use in scientific endeavors such as uses in fuel, dyes, and other similar industries. It also went on to explain that no one could make, sell, transport, trade, export, or import any liquor except those authorized by the federal government. In case you're wondering, the law determined that anything over 0.5% by volume was to be illegal.
What were the flaws in this law? Several.
1.) Organized crime soared. Suddenly small-time criminals became huge gangsters. People with names of Al Capone and the like began to creep up and organized crime became everywhere. Chicago became the most imfamous of American cities for its crime. Some called it the Old West city of the 20th Century. Gang crimes and murders became a normal happening by the late-20's.
2.) Studies done later showed alcohol consumption rose. It's a simple thing to measure; if you make something illegal, then they will want it even more. Not many stopped consuming it, they just hid it better. And instead of stopping, they drank as much as they could because they never knew where their liquor would come from the next week. Like the old saying "drank like it was going out of style".
3.) Prohibition was only enforceable in US waters. Boats would line up just a couple miles off shore in International waters and wait. People would get in their boats and go out to these alcohol boats and shop from one boat to the next to find the best deal. The loaded boats coming to shore could be stopped, but very few were.
4.) There was hypocritical side to the law. Some people have argued that the original intent of the law was meant to keep beer and wine legal and everything else illegal. But when the final draft was made making all liquor illegal, high members of Congress would continue to have their parties with alcohol. Some of the members of Congress who voted for the Volstead Act could be seen having champagne or gin at parties.
5.) Not all states chose to enforce the law equally. The Volstead Act was a federal law, which supersedes all state laws, however the federal government didn't want to give up any of its money or resources to enforce the law. They proposed the states should enforce the law. The states, however, didn't want to give up their money and resources to enforce a federal law. So, in the end, some states were strict about the law, and some were lax. Maryland's governor made a comment that his state wouldn't be a dry state, it would be "as wet as the Atlantic Ocean".
6.) Corruption ran rampant. Bootleggers and speakeasies (the hidden bars that required a password for entry) would pay off the police for non-interference. The cops then could be seen wearing furs and gold becuase of all the money they were pulling out of the hidden bars. Most of these cops could have free alcohol on top the money they were paid. Many of the rural sheriffs and police were sympathetic to the bootleggers, so they would sometimes protect them and let them know if anyone else was coming to town to interfere with the bootlegging.
7.) The illegal bars were like a cancer. If the police would close one urban speakeasy, then five more would pop up. It's hard to close every bar if you can never keep them closed permanently.
8.) The press wasn't behind Prohibition. There were higher class magazines such as The New Yorker that would send their journalists to try out the speakeasies and report on how classy, interesting, and fun the bars were. It's hard for the public to stay behind these illegal places if they sounded so grand.
9.) The health risks involved. When people were making illegal liquor, they would somtimes cut some corners, and when that happened, things that shouldn't be in the alcohol would make it in. Types of poisons and toxins would make their way into the bootlegged liquor, and many people became violently ill and quite a few ended up dying from the bad combinations. There have been stories that members who were enforcing the Volstead Act actually purposefully poisoned the alcohol they found so that the people drinking it would become sick and never have any again.
10.) The Act itself was unenforceable. The original act was created by temperance movements, religious groups, and some special interest organizations (and even the KKK). It was pushed on by the Republicans, and typically by conservatives in general. The combinations of everything said above all combined to create a law that was a moral law, and morality cannot be imposed on a society. By the time the early 30's, many people who believed in the benefits of the law at the beginning of the 20's had changed their minds completely. They learned that all the law had done was create a state of hypocrisy that was much more corrupt and despicable than a land of liquor.
The good thing about Prohibition is that it joined groups of people that hadn't congregated before. Originally, only white males would visit a bar, but all races and genders would join together to enjoy what was now illegal. It allowed women to leave the house and enjoy themselves, and it allowed all races to be equal in a single room. It was snapshot to a very progressive possible future in the US.
The single largest hurdle to repealing Prohibition (and one that the supporters of the law repeatedly mentioned) was that since Prohibition was a Constitutional Amendment, it wouldn't just go away, and no Amendment had ever been repealed before. The stock market crash in 1929 began to push the talks of repealing Prohibition into the consciousness of most of America. In February 1933, Congress passed the Blaine Act which would abolish the 18th Amendment as long as enough states voted for it. In December, Utah became the 36th state to approve the Blaine Act, which became the 21st Amendment, and repealed the 18th Amendment. Control of alcohol went on the the states. In 1935, the Federal Alcohol Administration was created to have limited control over the alcohol industry, but not anything like the way the Volstead Act had intended during the years of 1919 to 1933.
Bet you didn't know that!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
The Match or the Lighter?
There seems to be a debate going on about which came first: the match or the lighter. Like all things, the answer is "that depends".
Matches in some form had been around for hundreds of years. The first matches in Europe began to be seen in the early 1530's. However, these matches had to be lit, and did not self-ignite. In 1805, K. Chancel invented the first modern, self-igniting match. The problem with these was two-fold: they were expensive and dangerous. The match head was made with a combination of potassium chlorate, sulfur, sugar, and rubber. To ignite this match, you dipped the match head in a small asbestos bottle of sulfuric acid. This never really caught on though.
It was in 1823 that the first recognized lighter was invented by Johann Wolfgang Dobereiner. This lighter, called Dobereiner's Lamp, worked by having a reaction between zinc and sulfuric acid which produced hydrogen gas. When the valve was opened, the hydrogen escaped and bursted into flames. It was a simple concept, but the Dobereiner Lamp was in production until around 1880.
In 1826, John Walker invented the first friction match. He used a combination of stibnite, potassium chlorate, natural gums, and starch. He discovered that when these were bonded together, then struck on a rough surface, they ignited. Walker called these matches "congreves", but the name didn't catch on because he didn't patent them. The process was patented by Samuel Jones, who called the matches "lucifer matches". These early matches were unsteady, smelled bad (sulfur dioxide), and when struck, would send sparks quite a distance. The name "lucifers" was used in American slang for matches until the early 20th century before going out of style, but in some European countries today, they are still called "lucifers".
Matches themselves in some form have been around for hundreds of years. The first recorded match in history was in China in 577. These were made of pinewood with sulfur embedded inside. However, they had to be ignited, and even though they were small enough, they weren't able to be lit without at least a spark. The modern match, the friction match, is what we think of as matches, and these were invented after the lighter. So technically, the match was around first, but what we think of as the match (striking a match on a rough surface to ignite it) was invented a few years after the first lighters. So, I guess it depends on your point of view.
Bet you didn't know that!
Matches in some form had been around for hundreds of years. The first matches in Europe began to be seen in the early 1530's. However, these matches had to be lit, and did not self-ignite. In 1805, K. Chancel invented the first modern, self-igniting match. The problem with these was two-fold: they were expensive and dangerous. The match head was made with a combination of potassium chlorate, sulfur, sugar, and rubber. To ignite this match, you dipped the match head in a small asbestos bottle of sulfuric acid. This never really caught on though.
It was in 1823 that the first recognized lighter was invented by Johann Wolfgang Dobereiner. This lighter, called Dobereiner's Lamp, worked by having a reaction between zinc and sulfuric acid which produced hydrogen gas. When the valve was opened, the hydrogen escaped and bursted into flames. It was a simple concept, but the Dobereiner Lamp was in production until around 1880.
In 1826, John Walker invented the first friction match. He used a combination of stibnite, potassium chlorate, natural gums, and starch. He discovered that when these were bonded together, then struck on a rough surface, they ignited. Walker called these matches "congreves", but the name didn't catch on because he didn't patent them. The process was patented by Samuel Jones, who called the matches "lucifer matches". These early matches were unsteady, smelled bad (sulfur dioxide), and when struck, would send sparks quite a distance. The name "lucifers" was used in American slang for matches until the early 20th century before going out of style, but in some European countries today, they are still called "lucifers".
Matches themselves in some form have been around for hundreds of years. The first recorded match in history was in China in 577. These were made of pinewood with sulfur embedded inside. However, they had to be ignited, and even though they were small enough, they weren't able to be lit without at least a spark. The modern match, the friction match, is what we think of as matches, and these were invented after the lighter. So technically, the match was around first, but what we think of as the match (striking a match on a rough surface to ignite it) was invented a few years after the first lighters. So, I guess it depends on your point of view.
Bet you didn't know that!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Big Word: Sesquipedalianism
Sesquipedalianism is the act of using long words, usually with many syllables. Someone that is a sesquipedalian is one who uses such big words. Oddly enough, this word comes from the Latin word sēsquipedālis which means "of a foot and a half".
Bet you didn't know that!
Bet you didn't know that!
Friday, December 9, 2011
Hot and Cold Extremes
In following with expendablenlightenment that can help you win trivia contests and impress your friends, here's some information about extremes in the world that I bet you don't know.
First, here's the hot temperatures:
What is the hottest recorded temperature in the world?
136 °F in Libya, September 13, 1922
What is the hottest recorded temperature in North America?
134 °F in Death Valley, California, July 10, 1913
What is the hottest recorded temperature in Asia?
129 °F in Israel, June 21, 1942
What is the hottest recorded temperature in Europe?
118.4 °F in Greece, July 10, 1977
What is the hottest recorded temperature in Oceania?
123.3 °F in Australia, January 2, 1960
What is the hottest recorded temperature in South America?
120.4 °F in Argentina, January 2, 1920
What is the hottest recorded temperature in Antarctica?
59 °F, January 5, 1974
What is the hottest recorded temperature at the South Pole?
7.5 °F, December 27, 1978
And now for the cold temperatures:
What is the coldest recorded temperature in the world?
−128.6 °F in Antarctica, July 21, 1983
What is the coldest recorded temperature in North America?
−87 °F in Greenland, January 9, 1954
What is the coldest recorded temperature in Asia?
−90 °F in Russia, February 7, 1892, and again on February 6, 1933
What is the coldest recorded temperature in Europe?
−72.6°F in Russia, December 31, 1978
What is the coldest recorded temperature in South America?
−38 °F in Argentina, July 17, 1972
What is the coldest recorded temperature in Oceania?
−14.1 °F in New Zealand, July 18, 1903
What is the coldest recorded temperature in Africa?
−11 °F in Morocco, February 11, 1935
What is the coldest recorded temperature in Hawaii?
12 °F, May 17, 1979
Here's some other bizarre temperature facts:
What's the fastest temperature rise recorded?
49 °F in 2 minutes, South Dakota, January 22, 1943
What's the most consecutive recorded days above 100 °F?
160 days in Australia, October 31, 1923 to April 7, 1924
What's the fastest temperature drop recorded?
49 °F in 15 minutes, South Dakota, January 10, 1911
Bet you didn't know that?
First, here's the hot temperatures:
What is the hottest recorded temperature in the world?
136 °F in Libya, September 13, 1922
What is the hottest recorded temperature in North America?
134 °F in Death Valley, California, July 10, 1913
What is the hottest recorded temperature in Asia?
129 °F in Israel, June 21, 1942
What is the hottest recorded temperature in Europe?
118.4 °F in Greece, July 10, 1977
What is the hottest recorded temperature in Oceania?
123.3 °F in Australia, January 2, 1960
What is the hottest recorded temperature in South America?
120.4 °F in Argentina, January 2, 1920
What is the hottest recorded temperature in Antarctica?
59 °F, January 5, 1974
What is the hottest recorded temperature at the South Pole?
7.5 °F, December 27, 1978
And now for the cold temperatures:
What is the coldest recorded temperature in the world?
−128.6 °F in Antarctica, July 21, 1983
What is the coldest recorded temperature in North America?
−87 °F in Greenland, January 9, 1954
What is the coldest recorded temperature in Asia?
−90 °F in Russia, February 7, 1892, and again on February 6, 1933
What is the coldest recorded temperature in Europe?
−72.6°F in Russia, December 31, 1978
What is the coldest recorded temperature in South America?
−38 °F in Argentina, July 17, 1972
What is the coldest recorded temperature in Oceania?
−14.1 °F in New Zealand, July 18, 1903
What is the coldest recorded temperature in Africa?
−11 °F in Morocco, February 11, 1935
What is the coldest recorded temperature in Hawaii?
12 °F, May 17, 1979
Here's some other bizarre temperature facts:
What's the fastest temperature rise recorded?
49 °F in 2 minutes, South Dakota, January 22, 1943
What's the most consecutive recorded days above 100 °F?
160 days in Australia, October 31, 1923 to April 7, 1924
What's the fastest temperature drop recorded?
49 °F in 15 minutes, South Dakota, January 10, 1911
Bet you didn't know that?
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
A Small Boom
Try to think about what the first man-made device was that broke the sound barrier. To remind you what the sound barrier is, you would have to travel 761 mph at sea level to reach the sound barrier. Since this speed is so fast, it is referred to as mach 1. If you know your history, you might remember Chuck Yeager officially breaking the sound barrier in 1947. But was this the first time anything man-made broke the sound barrier?
The answer to that is no, and it's a surprisingly simple answer. No one knows for sure what the first man-made device is that broke the sound barrier, but one of the top contenders is, believe it or not, the bullwhip. I know it sounds strange, but the "crack of the whip" is actually the sound of the end of the whip breaking the sound barrier.
There is a mathematical formula that shows how this is possible, but I don't want to confuse you all. The thing to keep in mind is that a whip typically is larger at the handle and gets smaller the closer it gets to the end. As your hand makes the motion for the whip to hit something, you create a wave of energy that travels down the whip. As the width of the whip decreases, the energy grows. This is simply because the energy is funneled into an increasingly smaller space, so it exponentially grows. The last motion of the whip is the tail end that "cracks" as it breaks the sound barrier, passing mach 1, and letting loose a small sonic boom.
Bet you didn't know that!
The answer to that is no, and it's a surprisingly simple answer. No one knows for sure what the first man-made device is that broke the sound barrier, but one of the top contenders is, believe it or not, the bullwhip. I know it sounds strange, but the "crack of the whip" is actually the sound of the end of the whip breaking the sound barrier.
There is a mathematical formula that shows how this is possible, but I don't want to confuse you all. The thing to keep in mind is that a whip typically is larger at the handle and gets smaller the closer it gets to the end. As your hand makes the motion for the whip to hit something, you create a wave of energy that travels down the whip. As the width of the whip decreases, the energy grows. This is simply because the energy is funneled into an increasingly smaller space, so it exponentially grows. The last motion of the whip is the tail end that "cracks" as it breaks the sound barrier, passing mach 1, and letting loose a small sonic boom.
Bet you didn't know that!
Thursday, December 1, 2011
"Wha's a Jeep?"
With most things in life, the answers to many questions aren't very simple. One example of that is where the name "jeep" came from. There are many answers to this question and every one is hard to verify.
The jeep itself was a vehicle designed for the army in World War II as a means of quick transportation for troops and/or supplies that was low to the ground, had a windscreen capable of laying flat on the hood, a bumper that could hold troops, extra gas tank, was light, was a 4x4, and basically was an overall primary light vehicle used by the army. It found great favor with troops, and has since moved into the civilian domain also. Now the term jeep is used to describe any vehicle of a certain type, but it is also a brand controlled by Chrysler.
The most common answer when asked the origin of jeep is the story about GP vehicles. Many people know the story about jeep coming from the sound of saying GP in one syllable. However, this is disputed by members of the army since many of them say that the jeeps were used for specific duties and was never referred to as "General Purpose". The GPW designation made by Ford for the jeep was simply similar to a short VIN: G for Government, P for the 80-inch wheelbase, and W for the Willys-Overland engine.
A dictionary of military slang published in 1942 (called Words of the Fighting Forces) had a definition of jeep as being a vehicle that did reconnassaince and other army duty, but also defined it as being "any small plane, helicopter, or gadget". There were such things as "jeep carriers", which was the name given to the Navy's escort carriers.
The term jeep also referred to any vehicle that was untried and untested. This was a term used primarily by army mechanics.
It is known how the term jeep came out into the public sector. In 1941, as a publicity showing, the new jeep showed up at the Capitol for pictures and a demonstration. The driver was instructed to drive up the Capitol steps, which he did. He'd heard army personnel refer to it as a jeep before the demonstration, so when asked what it was, he simply said, "It's a jeep." A columnist for the Washington Daily News reported the vehicle as being a jeep, and the name went on into the public's consciousness.
One of the more unusual theories as to where the name jeep came from is actually one of the more likely. On March 16, 1936, Eugene the Jeep made his first appearance in the Popeye comic strip. On August 9, 1936, the headline of the Popeye strip was "Wha's a Jeep?" and Professor Brainstine explained it as being "small, able to move between dimensions and could solve seemingly impossible problems." Many of the army personnel were extremely impressed with the jeep's abilities that they called it "jeep" after Eugene the Jeep.
As said earlier, it isn't exactly clear where the name jeep came from, but the only thing that is clear is that it played an important role in World War II and every war since, and it still exists today in military and civilian life.
Bet you didn't know that!
The jeep itself was a vehicle designed for the army in World War II as a means of quick transportation for troops and/or supplies that was low to the ground, had a windscreen capable of laying flat on the hood, a bumper that could hold troops, extra gas tank, was light, was a 4x4, and basically was an overall primary light vehicle used by the army. It found great favor with troops, and has since moved into the civilian domain also. Now the term jeep is used to describe any vehicle of a certain type, but it is also a brand controlled by Chrysler.
The most common answer when asked the origin of jeep is the story about GP vehicles. Many people know the story about jeep coming from the sound of saying GP in one syllable. However, this is disputed by members of the army since many of them say that the jeeps were used for specific duties and was never referred to as "General Purpose". The GPW designation made by Ford for the jeep was simply similar to a short VIN: G for Government, P for the 80-inch wheelbase, and W for the Willys-Overland engine.
A dictionary of military slang published in 1942 (called Words of the Fighting Forces) had a definition of jeep as being a vehicle that did reconnassaince and other army duty, but also defined it as being "any small plane, helicopter, or gadget". There were such things as "jeep carriers", which was the name given to the Navy's escort carriers.
The term jeep also referred to any vehicle that was untried and untested. This was a term used primarily by army mechanics.
It is known how the term jeep came out into the public sector. In 1941, as a publicity showing, the new jeep showed up at the Capitol for pictures and a demonstration. The driver was instructed to drive up the Capitol steps, which he did. He'd heard army personnel refer to it as a jeep before the demonstration, so when asked what it was, he simply said, "It's a jeep." A columnist for the Washington Daily News reported the vehicle as being a jeep, and the name went on into the public's consciousness.
One of the more unusual theories as to where the name jeep came from is actually one of the more likely. On March 16, 1936, Eugene the Jeep made his first appearance in the Popeye comic strip. On August 9, 1936, the headline of the Popeye strip was "Wha's a Jeep?" and Professor Brainstine explained it as being "small, able to move between dimensions and could solve seemingly impossible problems." Many of the army personnel were extremely impressed with the jeep's abilities that they called it "jeep" after Eugene the Jeep.
As said earlier, it isn't exactly clear where the name jeep came from, but the only thing that is clear is that it played an important role in World War II and every war since, and it still exists today in military and civilian life.
Bet you didn't know that!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Sand with the Tape
If you have a tape dispenser for your desk, you may have wondered why it sounds like there's sand inside. Well, that's because there really is.
Tape dispensers, by design, are light because they are mostly plastic. Because they are so light, when you pull the tape with one hand, it would slide across the desk. One way of helping this is the bottom, which could be a foam padding or rubber. This helps to keep the dispenser from sliding. But it's still light, and it could still slide across the desk. That's where the sand comes in. Sand is used simply to weigh it down. With the added weight, the dispenser is unlikely to slide across the desk. Also, the tape dispenser now can double as a paperweight.
So, why not metal? Sand is 'dirt cheap' (forgive the pun). It's a lot cheaper to fill the dispenser with sand than to add metal for the same purpose. With anything that deals with engineering, the two things that are thought about are "how cheap can we make it" and "how durable can we make it". If they can achieve the same effect of metal with sand, and save money by doing it, they will use sand.
Bet you didn't know that!
Tape dispensers, by design, are light because they are mostly plastic. Because they are so light, when you pull the tape with one hand, it would slide across the desk. One way of helping this is the bottom, which could be a foam padding or rubber. This helps to keep the dispenser from sliding. But it's still light, and it could still slide across the desk. That's where the sand comes in. Sand is used simply to weigh it down. With the added weight, the dispenser is unlikely to slide across the desk. Also, the tape dispenser now can double as a paperweight.
So, why not metal? Sand is 'dirt cheap' (forgive the pun). It's a lot cheaper to fill the dispenser with sand than to add metal for the same purpose. With anything that deals with engineering, the two things that are thought about are "how cheap can we make it" and "how durable can we make it". If they can achieve the same effect of metal with sand, and save money by doing it, they will use sand.
Bet you didn't know that!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
The Turkey Pardon
A tradition of Thanksgiving that most people think has been around forever is the Presidential pardon of a Thanksgiving turkey. But this tradition hasn't been around forever.
Some people know the story of supposedly how President Harry Truman in 1947 pardoned the first turkey. And then some others will argue and say that President Lincoln pardoned his son's turkey in 1863, and that's really the first. Actually, those are both wrong. There is no proof that Lincoln pardoned his son's turkey, and many just throw that story in with the many more about "good ol' honest Abe" and his many stories of lore. As for Truman, there is no evidence that he pardoned a turkey in 1947. In fact, the turkey that was sent to the White House in 1947 was on December 15, a little late for Thanksgiving. It was actually a Christmas turkey, and no one can prove that any bird presented to the White House was spared.
The first use of the word pardon and turkey was actually in 1963. President Kennedy was presented with a turkey on November 18, and he said that he did not plan on eating it. He never used the word pardon, but the press did, and on the following day, it was all over the news that Kennedy had pardoned the Thanksgiving turkey.
The first useage of the term pardon from a President came from Ronald Reagan in 1987. Reporters and journalists were asking him about the Iran-Contra affair, and Reagan was trying to put off any real answer by joking with the reporters and journalists. When asked if he would pardon Oliver North and John Poindexter, he joked about pardoning the turkey.
The actual first pardon of a turkey, believe it or not, came from President George H. W. Bush in 1989. When presented with the turkey for the First Family's table, Bush Sr. said: "...Let me assure you - and this fine tom turkey - that he will not end up on anyone's dinner table. Not this guy. He's been granted a presidential pardon as of right now, allowing him to live out his days on a farm not far from here." In his following Thanksgivings, Bush Sr. continued to pardon a turkey, therefore establishing the tradition.
One more note about pardoned turkeys: they go on to live on farms or petting zoos. However, most of them do not live more than a year after being pardoned. Commercially-raised turkeys grow fast and become too large to support their weight, which make them easy targets for disease.
Bet you didn't know that!
Some people know the story of supposedly how President Harry Truman in 1947 pardoned the first turkey. And then some others will argue and say that President Lincoln pardoned his son's turkey in 1863, and that's really the first. Actually, those are both wrong. There is no proof that Lincoln pardoned his son's turkey, and many just throw that story in with the many more about "good ol' honest Abe" and his many stories of lore. As for Truman, there is no evidence that he pardoned a turkey in 1947. In fact, the turkey that was sent to the White House in 1947 was on December 15, a little late for Thanksgiving. It was actually a Christmas turkey, and no one can prove that any bird presented to the White House was spared.
The first use of the word pardon and turkey was actually in 1963. President Kennedy was presented with a turkey on November 18, and he said that he did not plan on eating it. He never used the word pardon, but the press did, and on the following day, it was all over the news that Kennedy had pardoned the Thanksgiving turkey.
The first useage of the term pardon from a President came from Ronald Reagan in 1987. Reporters and journalists were asking him about the Iran-Contra affair, and Reagan was trying to put off any real answer by joking with the reporters and journalists. When asked if he would pardon Oliver North and John Poindexter, he joked about pardoning the turkey.
The actual first pardon of a turkey, believe it or not, came from President George H. W. Bush in 1989. When presented with the turkey for the First Family's table, Bush Sr. said: "...Let me assure you - and this fine tom turkey - that he will not end up on anyone's dinner table. Not this guy. He's been granted a presidential pardon as of right now, allowing him to live out his days on a farm not far from here." In his following Thanksgivings, Bush Sr. continued to pardon a turkey, therefore establishing the tradition.
One more note about pardoned turkeys: they go on to live on farms or petting zoos. However, most of them do not live more than a year after being pardoned. Commercially-raised turkeys grow fast and become too large to support their weight, which make them easy targets for disease.
Bet you didn't know that!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Suggestions?
If you have any suggestions on future topics of expendablenlightenment, email us and let us know. There are a few guidelines that must be followed, however. If your topic doesn't fit into the parameters, then we will see if there's a way to change it so that it does. If we use your suggestion, you will receive an email notifying you as to when the topic will post. Currently, there are posts set up to January. That doesn't mean that your idea won't make it in before then, but it is unlikely. However, suggested topics are always accepted.
Happy reading!
Happy reading!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Why is the sky blue?
Talk about one of the most basic questions in life. You hear it when you are young from others (that is, if you haven't asked it yourself). When you get older, you hear others ask it. There are several answers that are usually said. One of the common answers is that it's a reflection of the water in the sky. Another is that it's just the color of the atmosphere. Another interesting answer is the same for why anything is any color: it's the color it absorbs and reflects all the rest (or vice versa). But really, the actual answer to this question is a surprisingly difficult.
First to understand this, you have to understand how color works. Color is simply wavelengths of light that leave an object and are interpreted by a sensory source, such as your eye. The wavelengths themselves can be reflected or scattered by an external source, or they may come from an object (like the sun or a light bulb). What colors are contained in a light source will determine what color is seen. For example, if you have red paint, and you shine blue light on it, the red paint will appear black. When you hold a prism up to the light, you will see the visible spectrum of light (red through purple). This is because the light entering the prism is separated into the different wavelengths. What makes these wavelengths different is the peak and valley of the wavelength itself. The purple side of the spectrum has short wavelengths, and the more you would move toward the red side would show you that longer the wavelengths get. Wavelengths that are shorter have more engery than longer ones, so it's easier to scatter the purple side than the red side.
Another thing you have to understand is about scattering light. Particles in the atmosphere, and even molecules and atoms can scatter light. However, as discussed above, color is a wavelength and can be scattered based on the frequency (the distance between peaks in the wave) of the wavelength. Light itself is a combination of all these wavelengths, so when light passes through atmospheric particles, the purple side of the spectrum scatters quicker and easier than the red side. If this didn't happen, then we wouldn't see a blue sky; we would see a black space. The reason these shorter wavelengths can scatter so much easier is because any wavelength that has a shorter frequency is thought to have more energy than one with a longer frequency, and this wave with more energy can bounce around particles easier than a wave with less energy.
So, taking that into account, if you look at the sun (which is not recommended), you will see white light. This is because you are looking directly at a light source, and you are receiving all the wavelengths of light. As you would look away, the sky would gradually turn into the blue we are used to seeing. The easiest wavelengths to scatter are the purple, indigo, blue side of the spectrum. So, if purple is the easiest to scatter, why isn't the sky purple?
That goes back to your eyes. Our eyes have millions of sensitive structures called cones, which detect the wavelengths of light. There are three types of cones, and each type is sensitive to specific wavelengths: one group sees the higher frequency, one group sees the middle frequency, and one group sees the low frequency. However, these cones overlap in their ability to see the frequencies. This means that although some cones are designed to see the higher frequencies, they can still see the lower frequencies, but they are much less sensitive to what they aren't designed for. Your eyes then detect different colors by blending them into one color instead of seeing all the parts of the whole. If you went to a concert, you could hear the different instruments, but your eyes would only see one color, and not the grouping of colors. Because of the way our eyes see colors, you see a combination of blue-purple mixed with white, which your eyes interpret it as light blue.
So, now you see why it's a hard question to answer. The whole answer is even longer, because the color of the sky also depends on the geometry of the particles through which light is being dispersed. If a child asks why the sky is blue, they probably won't understand the whole reason if it's explained to them: "it's a combination of the wavelength patterns being scattered through an obstacle which disperses different frequencies and your eye's ability to perceive these dispersal patterns." I don't know if that will make a lot of sense.
And one last thing: water is blue because it reflects the light of the sky. It can change based on the depth and the content. For example, deeper water will appear darker than shallow water, and a green color could be from algae or other organic matter, and brown could be from dirt, and red could be from rust.
Bet you didn't know that!
First to understand this, you have to understand how color works. Color is simply wavelengths of light that leave an object and are interpreted by a sensory source, such as your eye. The wavelengths themselves can be reflected or scattered by an external source, or they may come from an object (like the sun or a light bulb). What colors are contained in a light source will determine what color is seen. For example, if you have red paint, and you shine blue light on it, the red paint will appear black. When you hold a prism up to the light, you will see the visible spectrum of light (red through purple). This is because the light entering the prism is separated into the different wavelengths. What makes these wavelengths different is the peak and valley of the wavelength itself. The purple side of the spectrum has short wavelengths, and the more you would move toward the red side would show you that longer the wavelengths get. Wavelengths that are shorter have more engery than longer ones, so it's easier to scatter the purple side than the red side.
Another thing you have to understand is about scattering light. Particles in the atmosphere, and even molecules and atoms can scatter light. However, as discussed above, color is a wavelength and can be scattered based on the frequency (the distance between peaks in the wave) of the wavelength. Light itself is a combination of all these wavelengths, so when light passes through atmospheric particles, the purple side of the spectrum scatters quicker and easier than the red side. If this didn't happen, then we wouldn't see a blue sky; we would see a black space. The reason these shorter wavelengths can scatter so much easier is because any wavelength that has a shorter frequency is thought to have more energy than one with a longer frequency, and this wave with more energy can bounce around particles easier than a wave with less energy.
So, taking that into account, if you look at the sun (which is not recommended), you will see white light. This is because you are looking directly at a light source, and you are receiving all the wavelengths of light. As you would look away, the sky would gradually turn into the blue we are used to seeing. The easiest wavelengths to scatter are the purple, indigo, blue side of the spectrum. So, if purple is the easiest to scatter, why isn't the sky purple?
That goes back to your eyes. Our eyes have millions of sensitive structures called cones, which detect the wavelengths of light. There are three types of cones, and each type is sensitive to specific wavelengths: one group sees the higher frequency, one group sees the middle frequency, and one group sees the low frequency. However, these cones overlap in their ability to see the frequencies. This means that although some cones are designed to see the higher frequencies, they can still see the lower frequencies, but they are much less sensitive to what they aren't designed for. Your eyes then detect different colors by blending them into one color instead of seeing all the parts of the whole. If you went to a concert, you could hear the different instruments, but your eyes would only see one color, and not the grouping of colors. Because of the way our eyes see colors, you see a combination of blue-purple mixed with white, which your eyes interpret it as light blue.
So, now you see why it's a hard question to answer. The whole answer is even longer, because the color of the sky also depends on the geometry of the particles through which light is being dispersed. If a child asks why the sky is blue, they probably won't understand the whole reason if it's explained to them: "it's a combination of the wavelength patterns being scattered through an obstacle which disperses different frequencies and your eye's ability to perceive these dispersal patterns." I don't know if that will make a lot of sense.
And one last thing: water is blue because it reflects the light of the sky. It can change based on the depth and the content. For example, deeper water will appear darker than shallow water, and a green color could be from algae or other organic matter, and brown could be from dirt, and red could be from rust.
Bet you didn't know that!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Big Word: Floccinaucinihilipilification
Here's a mouthful of a word for you: Floccinaucinihilipilification. This word means "an estimation of something as useless". This word dates back to around the 1740's and is the longest word in the first Oxford English Dictionary. The 1992 Guinness Book calls Floccinaucinihilipilification the longest real word in the English language. One interesting note is that the letter E is one of the most common letters in the English language, and it is not found in this word. However, count the times the letter I is found: 9 times.
Bet you didn't know that!
Bet you didn't know that!
Friday, November 11, 2011
Veterans Day
On the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month in the year 1918, all major fighting in World War I were to cease with the signing of the Armistice. November 11, 1918, was then referred to as Armistice Day.
I bet you're thinking: what a coincidence! It's also Veterans Day! True. But it wasn't always Veterans Day.
In 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as a holiday. But then a few years went without much mention of the holiday. In 1926, Congress asked President Collidge to observe November 11 with ceremonies. It wasn't until 1938 that Congress passed a law making November 11 a legal holiday, calling it Armistice Day. In 1953, Alvin King urged his town Emporia, Kansas, to celebrate November 11 as "All" Veterans Day instead of just celebrating it for vets of World War I. The Chamber of Commerce joined in and 90% of businesses in the town closed their doors. Representative Ed Rees helped introduce the measure in Congress, and on May 26, 1954, President Eisenhower signed the bill into law. A few days later, the name "Armistice Day" was replaced with "Veterans Day", as a way of celebrating all American veterans of war. In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, Veterans Day was moved to the fourth Monday in October in 1971, but it was moved back to November 11 in 1978.
Although the holiday is celebrated all across the world, the name of the holiday changes depending on where you are located. In America, we call it Veterans Day, which replaced the original name Armistice Day (after the Armistice signed between the Central Powers and the Allied Powers). Overseas, it is still known as Armistice Day in some places. Remembrance Day is another name for this holiday. This is celebrated in Commonwealth countries (most of which are former parts of the British Empire), which include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, etc. Poppy Day is another name for this holiday overseas because of the the poem "In Flanders Fields", and the red poppy which has become a symbol of Remembrance Day.
Many people have ravioli on Veterans Day because after World War I, President Wilson invited 2000 soldiers into the White House to have a home cooked meal, and ravioli had recently become easily available because of commercial canning.
And one more note about Veterans Day. Grammatically, it is correct to say Veteran's Day or Veterans' Day. If you are speaking of one veteran, then the first is correct, and if you are speaking of many veterans, than the second is correct. The US government has declared that the attributive spelling without the apostrophe is the official spelling, and not the possessive spelling with the apostrophe.
Bet you didn't know that!
I bet you're thinking: what a coincidence! It's also Veterans Day! True. But it wasn't always Veterans Day.
In 1919, President Wilson proclaimed November 11 as a holiday. But then a few years went without much mention of the holiday. In 1926, Congress asked President Collidge to observe November 11 with ceremonies. It wasn't until 1938 that Congress passed a law making November 11 a legal holiday, calling it Armistice Day. In 1953, Alvin King urged his town Emporia, Kansas, to celebrate November 11 as "All" Veterans Day instead of just celebrating it for vets of World War I. The Chamber of Commerce joined in and 90% of businesses in the town closed their doors. Representative Ed Rees helped introduce the measure in Congress, and on May 26, 1954, President Eisenhower signed the bill into law. A few days later, the name "Armistice Day" was replaced with "Veterans Day", as a way of celebrating all American veterans of war. In accordance with the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, Veterans Day was moved to the fourth Monday in October in 1971, but it was moved back to November 11 in 1978.
Although the holiday is celebrated all across the world, the name of the holiday changes depending on where you are located. In America, we call it Veterans Day, which replaced the original name Armistice Day (after the Armistice signed between the Central Powers and the Allied Powers). Overseas, it is still known as Armistice Day in some places. Remembrance Day is another name for this holiday. This is celebrated in Commonwealth countries (most of which are former parts of the British Empire), which include Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, South Africa, etc. Poppy Day is another name for this holiday overseas because of the the poem "In Flanders Fields", and the red poppy which has become a symbol of Remembrance Day.
Many people have ravioli on Veterans Day because after World War I, President Wilson invited 2000 soldiers into the White House to have a home cooked meal, and ravioli had recently become easily available because of commercial canning.
And one more note about Veterans Day. Grammatically, it is correct to say Veteran's Day or Veterans' Day. If you are speaking of one veteran, then the first is correct, and if you are speaking of many veterans, than the second is correct. The US government has declared that the attributive spelling without the apostrophe is the official spelling, and not the possessive spelling with the apostrophe.
Bet you didn't know that!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
1904 St. Louis Olympics
Many people think of 1904 as being a great year for St. Louis. There was the Centennial of the Louisiana Purchase going on, the Centennial of Lewis and Clark leaving from St. Louis to explore the new Louisiana Purchase, the World's Fair (called the Louisiana Purchase Exposition) going on, the Democratic Convention was going on, and the Olympics were going on. These all sound like big deals, but who could top the Olympics? Sounds grand! Ehh, not really.
The Olympics of 1904 were only the 3rd held (1896 was Athens, and 1900 was Paris). The Olympics of that time was not the huge multi-national affair it is today. In fact, at that time, it really wasn't meant to be countries against one another; it was more about amateur athletes and their attempts to compete against each other at different parts of the world. They had to pay their own way, and if they couldn't make it, then they would have to try in another four years. In the St. Louis Olympics, there were 681 athletes competing, and 525 were American, and most of the rest were Canadian. The official Olympics ran only from Monday, August 29 through Saturday, September 3, with no games on that Friday, so really, it only lasted five days. So, how much can you achieve in only five days? Enough to try to forget about.
Many people find the Olympics of that time to be quite forgettable for many reasons, one of which was mentioned in the above paragraph. Some of the most notable events that took place:
1. In the 50m swimming match, Hungary's Zoltan Holmay beat American J. Scott Leary by a foot, but the American judge said Leary won. Holmay and Leary got into a fist fight over the result. The judges decided to have a rematch, where Holmay clearly won the second time.
2. American George Eyser won 5 medals (2 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze) in gymnastics. This is only interesting in the fact that one of his legs was wooden (amputated from a train accident).
By far, the marathon was quite the most bizarre activity in Olympic history. The total distance was about 40 km which started in the stadium, then went out, over several hills, then back into the stadium. The track was dusty, and vehicles drove in front of the runners and behind, so dust was kicked up into the faces of the runners. Add that to the humid and over 90-degree day, and it makes a brutal run. The first man to cross the finish line was Fred Lorz, but just before he received his medal, it was announed that he had been seen in an automobile. It was found out that Lorz was picked up by one of the automobiles at the 9-mile mark and rode it for about 11 miles until the car's engine overheated. Now with a rest in him, he ran the rest of the way.
But that's not all. Thomas Hicks, a British man who ran for America, was the one who actually came in first place. Since he was the 2nd man to come in first, the crowd was wary of cheering for him. Alice Roosevelt, daughter of the President, was ready to congratulate the 2nd first place winner, but she had difficulty doing that because of Hicks's trainers. His trainers, ten miles earlier, gave him some strychnine mixed with raw egg white to keep him going. They gave him some more along the way, as well as some brandy. He was literally half-carried across the finish line, and almost died before he left the stadium.
That's still not all. A Cuban postman named Felix Carvajal decided he was going to enter the race when he heard there would be one, but he had no money. He took up a donation campaign in Cuba, and soon raised enough money to finance his trip to the Olympics. However, on his way, he stopped in New Orleans and lost all his money in a craps game. He hitchhiked his way to St. Louis, and was soon ready to race. The problem for Felix was that he lacked any gear. The beginning of the marathon was halted for a few minutes as Felix ripped off the shirt sleeves and pant legs, and he ran in regular street shoes. He was known for running backwards at times and chatting with the crowd, but he was also known for stealing some peaches from a race official. He decided to run into an orchard and eat some apples, which made him sick. He eventually regained the marathon, but because of his detour, he only finished in 4th.
And yet, there's still more with the marathon. The first two black Africans to compete in the Olympics were included in the marathon: Len Taunyane and Jan Mashiani, both from South Africa. The only problem was that the times were extremely racist and Len and Jan weren't even supposed to be there for the marathon. They took part in the Boer War exhibit as Zulu tribesman at the World's Fair, but found their way into the marathon. Len came in 9th and Jan came in 12th. Some thought that Len would have done better, but he was chased by a dog off course for a little while, which may have had something to do with it.
Sadly, there's yet another tale about the marathon. A couple of patrolmen were driving a car and had to swerve from hitting some runners. In doing so, they crashed down a hill and were severely injured. Yet another of the strange occurrences that happened during the disastrous marathon.
So basically, the 1904 St. Louis Olympics was a disaster, for more reasons than for what has already been mentioned, but you get the idea. Because the Paris games of 1900 were not much better than the 1904 games, the Olympic Committe elected to have interim games held in Athens in 1906, which were not part of the normal succession of Olympics, but had at least 20 countries attend. Because of the 1906 games, the Olympics became evermore popular in the years following, helping it become the huge celebration of patriotism it is today. The 1904 Olympics of St. Louis (which were originally supposed to be in Chicago, but moved to St. Louis to coincide with the World's fair) was a disaster of many reasons. Even though it turned out to sound more like an SNL skit than an actual event, it did change the way the Olympics worked: since it was such a disaster, anything would've been better.
And one more note about the Olympics: I bet you're wondering about the Winter Olympics. Those weren't added until 1924.
Bet you didn't know that!
The Olympics of 1904 were only the 3rd held (1896 was Athens, and 1900 was Paris). The Olympics of that time was not the huge multi-national affair it is today. In fact, at that time, it really wasn't meant to be countries against one another; it was more about amateur athletes and their attempts to compete against each other at different parts of the world. They had to pay their own way, and if they couldn't make it, then they would have to try in another four years. In the St. Louis Olympics, there were 681 athletes competing, and 525 were American, and most of the rest were Canadian. The official Olympics ran only from Monday, August 29 through Saturday, September 3, with no games on that Friday, so really, it only lasted five days. So, how much can you achieve in only five days? Enough to try to forget about.
Many people find the Olympics of that time to be quite forgettable for many reasons, one of which was mentioned in the above paragraph. Some of the most notable events that took place:
1. In the 50m swimming match, Hungary's Zoltan Holmay beat American J. Scott Leary by a foot, but the American judge said Leary won. Holmay and Leary got into a fist fight over the result. The judges decided to have a rematch, where Holmay clearly won the second time.
2. American George Eyser won 5 medals (2 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze) in gymnastics. This is only interesting in the fact that one of his legs was wooden (amputated from a train accident).
By far, the marathon was quite the most bizarre activity in Olympic history. The total distance was about 40 km which started in the stadium, then went out, over several hills, then back into the stadium. The track was dusty, and vehicles drove in front of the runners and behind, so dust was kicked up into the faces of the runners. Add that to the humid and over 90-degree day, and it makes a brutal run. The first man to cross the finish line was Fred Lorz, but just before he received his medal, it was announed that he had been seen in an automobile. It was found out that Lorz was picked up by one of the automobiles at the 9-mile mark and rode it for about 11 miles until the car's engine overheated. Now with a rest in him, he ran the rest of the way.
But that's not all. Thomas Hicks, a British man who ran for America, was the one who actually came in first place. Since he was the 2nd man to come in first, the crowd was wary of cheering for him. Alice Roosevelt, daughter of the President, was ready to congratulate the 2nd first place winner, but she had difficulty doing that because of Hicks's trainers. His trainers, ten miles earlier, gave him some strychnine mixed with raw egg white to keep him going. They gave him some more along the way, as well as some brandy. He was literally half-carried across the finish line, and almost died before he left the stadium.
That's still not all. A Cuban postman named Felix Carvajal decided he was going to enter the race when he heard there would be one, but he had no money. He took up a donation campaign in Cuba, and soon raised enough money to finance his trip to the Olympics. However, on his way, he stopped in New Orleans and lost all his money in a craps game. He hitchhiked his way to St. Louis, and was soon ready to race. The problem for Felix was that he lacked any gear. The beginning of the marathon was halted for a few minutes as Felix ripped off the shirt sleeves and pant legs, and he ran in regular street shoes. He was known for running backwards at times and chatting with the crowd, but he was also known for stealing some peaches from a race official. He decided to run into an orchard and eat some apples, which made him sick. He eventually regained the marathon, but because of his detour, he only finished in 4th.
And yet, there's still more with the marathon. The first two black Africans to compete in the Olympics were included in the marathon: Len Taunyane and Jan Mashiani, both from South Africa. The only problem was that the times were extremely racist and Len and Jan weren't even supposed to be there for the marathon. They took part in the Boer War exhibit as Zulu tribesman at the World's Fair, but found their way into the marathon. Len came in 9th and Jan came in 12th. Some thought that Len would have done better, but he was chased by a dog off course for a little while, which may have had something to do with it.
Sadly, there's yet another tale about the marathon. A couple of patrolmen were driving a car and had to swerve from hitting some runners. In doing so, they crashed down a hill and were severely injured. Yet another of the strange occurrences that happened during the disastrous marathon.
So basically, the 1904 St. Louis Olympics was a disaster, for more reasons than for what has already been mentioned, but you get the idea. Because the Paris games of 1900 were not much better than the 1904 games, the Olympic Committe elected to have interim games held in Athens in 1906, which were not part of the normal succession of Olympics, but had at least 20 countries attend. Because of the 1906 games, the Olympics became evermore popular in the years following, helping it become the huge celebration of patriotism it is today. The 1904 Olympics of St. Louis (which were originally supposed to be in Chicago, but moved to St. Louis to coincide with the World's fair) was a disaster of many reasons. Even though it turned out to sound more like an SNL skit than an actual event, it did change the way the Olympics worked: since it was such a disaster, anything would've been better.
And one more note about the Olympics: I bet you're wondering about the Winter Olympics. Those weren't added until 1924.
Bet you didn't know that!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
12 vs. 24
We use A.M. and P.M. (with and without the periods, and with and without the capitals) to determine if it's morning or afternoon/night. This is what's called a 12-hour clock, which means we count the hours up to 12, then we start over. So it wouldn't be 36:30 or 25:30. The most it could be is 12:59, then it goes back to 1:00. The 24 hour clock is widely used today, and in fact most countries in the world use a 24 hour clock, which means that 1:00 in the morning is 1:00 on this clock, but 1:00 in the afteroon is 13:00. We usually refer to this as military time.
So where did the A.M. and the P.M. come from, you ask? Well, they actually come from Latin. A.M. is an abbreviation for ante meridiem which translates to "before midday". P.M. is an abbreviation for post meridiem which translates to "after midday". Noon is meridiem. So, technically, 11:59 is A.M. and 12:01 is P.M., and 12:00 noon is merdiem. We use the term "afternoon" to literally mean the time after the noon hour, which is like a modern translation of post meridiem.
So you may be wondering, if a 24 hour clock can start at 00:00 at midnight, then 12:00 would be noon, then what would the following midnight be? Would it be 24:00? Or would it start over at 00:00? The answer is both. It depends on what method is being used. Most would consider 00:00 to be the start of day 1 and 24:00 to be the end of day 1. But others would consider 00:00 to be the start of day 1, and the last second of day 1 to be 23:59:59, and when it rolls over, it goes back to 00:00 for the start of day 2. Typically, if you're only talking about one day, then you could use 24:00, but if you're using it for time always or if you're referring to more than one day, then you would probably be more accurate using 00:00 on day 2's beginning.
The 12 hour clock can be traced back to Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt (around 1500 BC). The Romans used the A.M. and P.M., with midnight being halfway between sunrise and sunset (so it changed from season to season), hence the name literally meaning "middle of the night". The main difference in the Romans A.M. and P.M. was that it was backwards from ours. If they said it was 5 A.M., it meant it was 5 hours before meridiem (for us 7 A.M.), and if we say it's 5 A.M., it means that it's 5 hours into the morning, or 5 hours past midnight.
By the way, on some analog clocks around the world that follow the 24 hour clock, there are two sets of numbers: the number 12 is paired with either a 00 or 24, and 1-11 is paired with 13-23 respectively. This way, someone who's used to the 12 hour clock can read it, and someone who's used to the 24 hour clock can read it.
Bet you didn't know that!
So where did the A.M. and the P.M. come from, you ask? Well, they actually come from Latin. A.M. is an abbreviation for ante meridiem which translates to "before midday". P.M. is an abbreviation for post meridiem which translates to "after midday". Noon is meridiem. So, technically, 11:59 is A.M. and 12:01 is P.M., and 12:00 noon is merdiem. We use the term "afternoon" to literally mean the time after the noon hour, which is like a modern translation of post meridiem.
So you may be wondering, if a 24 hour clock can start at 00:00 at midnight, then 12:00 would be noon, then what would the following midnight be? Would it be 24:00? Or would it start over at 00:00? The answer is both. It depends on what method is being used. Most would consider 00:00 to be the start of day 1 and 24:00 to be the end of day 1. But others would consider 00:00 to be the start of day 1, and the last second of day 1 to be 23:59:59, and when it rolls over, it goes back to 00:00 for the start of day 2. Typically, if you're only talking about one day, then you could use 24:00, but if you're using it for time always or if you're referring to more than one day, then you would probably be more accurate using 00:00 on day 2's beginning.
The 12 hour clock can be traced back to Mesopotamia and ancient Egypt (around 1500 BC). The Romans used the A.M. and P.M., with midnight being halfway between sunrise and sunset (so it changed from season to season), hence the name literally meaning "middle of the night". The main difference in the Romans A.M. and P.M. was that it was backwards from ours. If they said it was 5 A.M., it meant it was 5 hours before meridiem (for us 7 A.M.), and if we say it's 5 A.M., it means that it's 5 hours into the morning, or 5 hours past midnight.
By the way, on some analog clocks around the world that follow the 24 hour clock, there are two sets of numbers: the number 12 is paired with either a 00 or 24, and 1-11 is paired with 13-23 respectively. This way, someone who's used to the 12 hour clock can read it, and someone who's used to the 24 hour clock can read it.
Bet you didn't know that!
Monday, October 31, 2011
Trick or Treat!
Halloween is a time of ghouls and specters and candy and scary stories. With all holidays, there are traditions that seem strange if you partake out of that season. Halloween has an exceptionally strange tradition of children gallivanting around the neighborhood in a costume, knocking on a stranger's door, saying "trick or treat", then being handed candy. If your child did this in the middle of March, it might seem very strange. So, where did such an unusual tradition come form?
Trick or treating goes back a long time: back to the Middle Ages. Back then, poor people would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1) who would receive food in exchange for prayers for the dead on the following day All Souls Day (November 2). This practice (known as souling) can be traced to the British Isles, but similar practices can be found around Europe. (A reference to this can be found in Shakepeare's play The Two Gentlemen of Verona.) The notion of a person wearing masks comes from ancient Celtic traditions of dressing up as evil spirits to pacify them. In Scotland, in the late 19th Century, a group of young men would dress up with black faces or black masks and white dress and carry lanterns. They would visit homes and in return would be given fruit, cakes, and money.
In North America, the first instance of going door to door while dressed up can be traced to 1911 where an Ontario newspaper reported children going "guising" around the neighborhood. Ruth Edna Kelley wrote a US history book in 1919 with a chapter called "Hallowe'en in America". She cited the origins for Halloween in her town as coming from the traditions from Europe that had become a custom adopted in America. Kelley's town was Lynn, Massachusetts, which had a large population of Irish, English, and Scottish immigrants.
The actual term "trick or treat" was not seen in a print form until 1927, in Alberta, Canada. Postcards of the era would show children dressed up or they might show tricksters of a ghoulish nature, but not exactly trick or treating, nor using the words. The term "trick or treat" didn't become a well-known term until the 1930's, and wasn't seen in a national publication until 1939. Typically, and mention of the term "trick or treat" came from the West and gradually moved East. World War II created a sugar shortage, which took until about 1947 to end. But the late 1940's and especially the 1950's, the term "trick or treat" spread quickly and because of increased attention from children's programming on TV and magazines, the modern idea of Trick or Treating came about.
Another interesting thing to mention is what happened when trick or treating went back across the Atlantic. Before the 1980's, the term trick or treat was not common in England and when it started to become more recognized, it was an unwelcome term. The English preferred guising because it was "free from any threat". Trick or treating has been referred to as "making demands with menaces" and the "Japanese knotwood of festivals" (since Japanese knotwood is thought of as an invasive plant species that is highly undesired and unwelcome).
Bet you didn't know that!
Trick or treating goes back a long time: back to the Middle Ages. Back then, poor people would go door to door on Hallowmas (November 1) who would receive food in exchange for prayers for the dead on the following day All Souls Day (November 2). This practice (known as souling) can be traced to the British Isles, but similar practices can be found around Europe. (A reference to this can be found in Shakepeare's play The Two Gentlemen of Verona.) The notion of a person wearing masks comes from ancient Celtic traditions of dressing up as evil spirits to pacify them. In Scotland, in the late 19th Century, a group of young men would dress up with black faces or black masks and white dress and carry lanterns. They would visit homes and in return would be given fruit, cakes, and money.
In North America, the first instance of going door to door while dressed up can be traced to 1911 where an Ontario newspaper reported children going "guising" around the neighborhood. Ruth Edna Kelley wrote a US history book in 1919 with a chapter called "Hallowe'en in America". She cited the origins for Halloween in her town as coming from the traditions from Europe that had become a custom adopted in America. Kelley's town was Lynn, Massachusetts, which had a large population of Irish, English, and Scottish immigrants.
The actual term "trick or treat" was not seen in a print form until 1927, in Alberta, Canada. Postcards of the era would show children dressed up or they might show tricksters of a ghoulish nature, but not exactly trick or treating, nor using the words. The term "trick or treat" didn't become a well-known term until the 1930's, and wasn't seen in a national publication until 1939. Typically, and mention of the term "trick or treat" came from the West and gradually moved East. World War II created a sugar shortage, which took until about 1947 to end. But the late 1940's and especially the 1950's, the term "trick or treat" spread quickly and because of increased attention from children's programming on TV and magazines, the modern idea of Trick or Treating came about.
Another interesting thing to mention is what happened when trick or treating went back across the Atlantic. Before the 1980's, the term trick or treat was not common in England and when it started to become more recognized, it was an unwelcome term. The English preferred guising because it was "free from any threat". Trick or treating has been referred to as "making demands with menaces" and the "Japanese knotwood of festivals" (since Japanese knotwood is thought of as an invasive plant species that is highly undesired and unwelcome).
Bet you didn't know that!
Monday, October 24, 2011
Jack Pierce: A Cautionary Tale
Jack Pierce should be a household name, but he isn't. If you work in makeup effects in Hollywood, he would probably be one of your idols. However, his story is a tragic story of what can happen if you don't update yourself with the times.
Jack Pierce was born in Greece in 1889 as Janus Piccoula. He emigrated to the US in his teens and tried odd jobs, even trying amateur baseball. He eventually found his way into doing small jobs in Hollywood: actor, assistant director, stuntman, etc. But he knew that he would never be a big star because of his small stature, so in the 1920's, he focused on working with makeups for other actors. His star as a makeup effects guru was made when he created the famous face for actor Conrad Veidt in the title role of the film The Man Who Laughs, which is still a disturbing facial makeup to this day. He was then hired fulltime by Universal Pictures. Universal had made a name for itself with horror movies from the 20's, and together with Jack Pierce creating makeups for Lon Chaney, Universal was the company to beat with makeup effects. When Chaney died in 1930, many thought that Universal could not recover, but other actors stepped up to fill the mighty shoes that Chaney left. Most notably, Boris Karloff used a number of famous Pierce makeups (Frankenstein and The Mummy). Lon Chaney's son had his own career, and he used Pierce for memorable makeups as well (The Wolf Man). There was even subtle makeup for Bela Lugosi in the classic Dracula.
From the 1920's-40's, Jack Pierce won award after award for his amazing makeups, and created makeup designs that are still remembered and acclaimed to this day. He was well on his way to movie-making imortality... That is until the middle of the 1940's rolled around. Apparently, Pierce was a very difficult person to work with and not many people at Universal liked him. Lon Chaney Jr. in particular really disliked Pierce, saying that it took Pierce too long to do makeups and made them really painful. The other contributing factor in Pierce's demise was the industry itself was changing. He worked from a kit of his own making to create magnificent wonders, but new inovations in foam latex made makeups cheaper, quicker, and easier to work with. Pierce refused to work with anything but his own kit. In 1946, he ws unceremoniously fired from Universal.
In the 1950's, television became huge, and because of that, the major studios were downsizing to compete with television. Pierce's chance of working in movies was over, unless he would use the newer cheaper methods, which he continued to refuse to do. His last major work was on Mister Ed from 1961-64. He died in 1968. The man who created such amazing visuals for some of the most famous movies ever made was kicked out of the industry that he reinvented only because he wouldn't adapt to it. Recently, there has been a push to get Pierce a star on the Hollywood Boulevard, but it hasn't happened yet. Let that be a lesson!
Bet you didn't know that!
Jack Pierce was born in Greece in 1889 as Janus Piccoula. He emigrated to the US in his teens and tried odd jobs, even trying amateur baseball. He eventually found his way into doing small jobs in Hollywood: actor, assistant director, stuntman, etc. But he knew that he would never be a big star because of his small stature, so in the 1920's, he focused on working with makeups for other actors. His star as a makeup effects guru was made when he created the famous face for actor Conrad Veidt in the title role of the film The Man Who Laughs, which is still a disturbing facial makeup to this day. He was then hired fulltime by Universal Pictures. Universal had made a name for itself with horror movies from the 20's, and together with Jack Pierce creating makeups for Lon Chaney, Universal was the company to beat with makeup effects. When Chaney died in 1930, many thought that Universal could not recover, but other actors stepped up to fill the mighty shoes that Chaney left. Most notably, Boris Karloff used a number of famous Pierce makeups (Frankenstein and The Mummy). Lon Chaney's son had his own career, and he used Pierce for memorable makeups as well (The Wolf Man). There was even subtle makeup for Bela Lugosi in the classic Dracula.
From the 1920's-40's, Jack Pierce won award after award for his amazing makeups, and created makeup designs that are still remembered and acclaimed to this day. He was well on his way to movie-making imortality... That is until the middle of the 1940's rolled around. Apparently, Pierce was a very difficult person to work with and not many people at Universal liked him. Lon Chaney Jr. in particular really disliked Pierce, saying that it took Pierce too long to do makeups and made them really painful. The other contributing factor in Pierce's demise was the industry itself was changing. He worked from a kit of his own making to create magnificent wonders, but new inovations in foam latex made makeups cheaper, quicker, and easier to work with. Pierce refused to work with anything but his own kit. In 1946, he ws unceremoniously fired from Universal.
In the 1950's, television became huge, and because of that, the major studios were downsizing to compete with television. Pierce's chance of working in movies was over, unless he would use the newer cheaper methods, which he continued to refuse to do. His last major work was on Mister Ed from 1961-64. He died in 1968. The man who created such amazing visuals for some of the most famous movies ever made was kicked out of the industry that he reinvented only because he wouldn't adapt to it. Recently, there has been a push to get Pierce a star on the Hollywood Boulevard, but it hasn't happened yet. Let that be a lesson!
Bet you didn't know that!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Bette Nesmith Graham
Few people know the name Bette Nesmith Graham (born as Better Claire McMurray), but they have probably used something she created. She was born in 1924 in Dallas, Texas. She married Warren Nesmith before World War II, but they divorced in 1946. Since she was then a single parent, she had to support herself, so she took a job at a bank. She rose to the job of executive secretary, which was as high a position as a woman could make in those days.
She used a typewriter everyday, and when a mistake was made, it was very difficult to fix. There were ink erasers, but one has to basically etch away the top layer of paper without breaking a hole in it. Bette began taking tempera water-based paint and a watercolor brush to work everyday and used that to correct her mistakes. Over the next few years, she used this to fix any mistakes that were made. She used her son's chemistry teacher sometimes to make improvements to the paint compound. She was told not to use the mixture on her work, but soon coworkers began wanting to use her mixture.
In 1956, she began selling her compound. She called it "Mistake Out". The name of the compound was changed to "Liquid Paper" a few years later when started her own company. She married in 1962 to Robert Graham, who helped her run the company. She evenrually sold Liquid Paper in 1979 to the Gillette for $47.5 million. Her company at that time had about 200 employees. She died the following year (1980) at the age of 56, but she left the legacy of the all-famous and ever-used "white out".
Possibly the most interesting note with the life of Bette (other than her literal rags-to-riches tale) was who her son is: Michael Nesmith of the Monkees.
Bet you didn't know that!
She used a typewriter everyday, and when a mistake was made, it was very difficult to fix. There were ink erasers, but one has to basically etch away the top layer of paper without breaking a hole in it. Bette began taking tempera water-based paint and a watercolor brush to work everyday and used that to correct her mistakes. Over the next few years, she used this to fix any mistakes that were made. She used her son's chemistry teacher sometimes to make improvements to the paint compound. She was told not to use the mixture on her work, but soon coworkers began wanting to use her mixture.
In 1956, she began selling her compound. She called it "Mistake Out". The name of the compound was changed to "Liquid Paper" a few years later when started her own company. She married in 1962 to Robert Graham, who helped her run the company. She evenrually sold Liquid Paper in 1979 to the Gillette for $47.5 million. Her company at that time had about 200 employees. She died the following year (1980) at the age of 56, but she left the legacy of the all-famous and ever-used "white out".
Possibly the most interesting note with the life of Bette (other than her literal rags-to-riches tale) was who her son is: Michael Nesmith of the Monkees.
Bet you didn't know that!
Monday, October 17, 2011
President for a Day..?
If the name David R. Atchison doesn't sound familiar, don't worry. It's not one of those memorable names from history class. But he does have a notable honor that has been bestowed upoon him: allegedly, he was President of the United States for one day.
What happened was on March 4, 1849, James Polk's term ended at noon, and Zachary Taylor was to be sworn in as President. March 4 was a Sunday, and Taylor refused to be sworn in until Monday, March 5. Taylor's running mate Millard Fillmore also refused to be sworn in until the next day. With no President or Vice President sworn in, the order of succession of that time then falls to the President pro tempore of the Senate, which was David Atchison. (Now, the Speaker of the House is before the President pro tempore.) So, the story goes that until Taylor took the oath on Monday, Atchison was President for a day.
The truth is much less dramatic. Atchison himself never admitted to being the President for a day, nor did he spread the idea that he was. Even the actual rules of succession dictate that Atchison wasn't actually President. Firstly, Atchison's tenure as President pro tempore of the Senate ended on March 3 when the session adjourned. Secondly, Atchison must take an oath of office, which he didn't do. And thirdly, there was no illness or death which prevented the President or Vice President from serving. Some of these rules were more clarified in the 25th Amendment in 1967, and the 20th Amendment in 1933.
Technically, the situation was nothing more than Taylor's official taking of the job on March 5, but his job actually began on March 4, even if he didn't take the oath of office until March 5. There was nothing official about Atchison's "Presidency", so one can't even call it "being President for a day". This is why you won't see Atchison's name on any lists of Presidents, unless you look in trivia books. Unfortunately, there is no legal basis for Atchison's "Presidency", so I'm sorry to say: Atchison was not President, not technically, not legally, not anything, even though Atchison's gravestone says "President of the United States for one day: March 4, 1849".
One more interesting note about Atchison on the day he was supposedly President: he slept through most of the day. Apparently, he had been up late for several nights, and he was catching up on his sleep. So even if you think of him as President for a day, he ended up sleeping for most of the day.
Bet you didn't know that!
What happened was on March 4, 1849, James Polk's term ended at noon, and Zachary Taylor was to be sworn in as President. March 4 was a Sunday, and Taylor refused to be sworn in until Monday, March 5. Taylor's running mate Millard Fillmore also refused to be sworn in until the next day. With no President or Vice President sworn in, the order of succession of that time then falls to the President pro tempore of the Senate, which was David Atchison. (Now, the Speaker of the House is before the President pro tempore.) So, the story goes that until Taylor took the oath on Monday, Atchison was President for a day.
The truth is much less dramatic. Atchison himself never admitted to being the President for a day, nor did he spread the idea that he was. Even the actual rules of succession dictate that Atchison wasn't actually President. Firstly, Atchison's tenure as President pro tempore of the Senate ended on March 3 when the session adjourned. Secondly, Atchison must take an oath of office, which he didn't do. And thirdly, there was no illness or death which prevented the President or Vice President from serving. Some of these rules were more clarified in the 25th Amendment in 1967, and the 20th Amendment in 1933.
Technically, the situation was nothing more than Taylor's official taking of the job on March 5, but his job actually began on March 4, even if he didn't take the oath of office until March 5. There was nothing official about Atchison's "Presidency", so one can't even call it "being President for a day". This is why you won't see Atchison's name on any lists of Presidents, unless you look in trivia books. Unfortunately, there is no legal basis for Atchison's "Presidency", so I'm sorry to say: Atchison was not President, not technically, not legally, not anything, even though Atchison's gravestone says "President of the United States for one day: March 4, 1849".
One more interesting note about Atchison on the day he was supposedly President: he slept through most of the day. Apparently, he had been up late for several nights, and he was catching up on his sleep. So even if you think of him as President for a day, he ended up sleeping for most of the day.
Bet you didn't know that!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Hiroo Onoda's Thirty-Year War
This is certainly one of the most bizarre stories that I've come across. Have you seen movies like Rambo and thought "The war has been over for like ten years, so why is he fighting? And why are they fighting?" Have you ever wondered about people who never got the memo that the war was over? That's exactly what happened to Hiroo Onoda, more or less.
Before we can begin this strange story, you have to understand the Japanese mentality in 1944. This was a "never give up, never surrender" society. They looked at being a prisoner of war as cowardly and punishable by death; however, some guerilla warfare schools at the time taught that a soldier should stay alive no matter what. They taught that under no circumstances should a soldier take their own life, and they should do anything to win against their enemy. They were taught to be suspicious of everything, especially of enemy tricks. The mentality of the time was that it would take 100 years to beat the Japanese, so they were taught to be willing to fight for the rest of their lives.
Hiroo Onoda was trained in such a place. He was drafted in 1942, and at the end of 1944, he was sent to a little island Lubang, just 75 miles from the Philippines. His orders were to 1.) do anything to frustrate the enemy's actions on the island (which included destroying the airstrip and the pier in the harbor), 2.) not take his own life, and 3.) take as many years as he needed to fulfill his mission. He was sent alone to the island and joined a group of Japanese already in place, but since he was not the senior officer, he was not able to take out the airstrip or the pier. The Americans landed February 28, 1945, and easily took over the island. Onoda was recently promoted to Lieutenant, and the last officer, so he ordered the remaining men to the mountains. The only Japanese soldiers who had not been killed or captured were Onoda and three others (Akatsu, Shimada, and Kozuka).
The four Japanese soldiers basically resorted to survival in the mountains. They raided the villages and soon developed the names "mountain devils" and "mountain bandits". They survived mostly on bananas and berries. Occasionally, they would shoot water buffalo, wild boar, wild chickens, and iguanas. They wouldn't hunt too often not to give away their position. They would frequently move to keep from being discovered.
Akatsu was the first to leave the group. He was tired of the whole thing, so he left in 1949 and surrendered to the Philippine Army. He left a note for Onoda which said he was found by friendly troops and urged them to join him. Akatsu even took an expedition of Philippine soldiers into the mountains to find Onoda's group, but Onoda assumed that Akatsu had switched sides and was working with the enemy. In 1952, a plane flew over and dropped and letters from family and friends to coerce the men out of the mountains, but this was thought to be a very clever attempt to get the men to surrender, so they stayed in hiding.
In 1954, a search party was looking for the men, when Shimada was killed by a stray bullet from the search party, which left only Onoda and Kozuka. A few days later, more flyers were dropped from a plane, while a loudspeaker blared that the war was over. Onoda and Kozuka didn't believe them, so they continued their hiding. That same year, Onoda's own brother spoke on a loudspeaker urging him to come out of hiding and that the war was over. Since they were somewhat far away and could not see the speaker's face, they thought it was another American ploy to get them to surrender.
In 1965, they stole a radio and listened to radio reports from China, but since their minds were stuck 20 years in the past, they didn't believe what they heard about politics or foreign affairs. The only thing that lifted their spirits was that Japan had grown into a major industrial society, which only bolstered their efforts.
In 1972, Onoda and Kozuka were burning rice piles of the islanders. The police were able to arrive and Kozuka was killed, but Onoda escaped back into the wilderness. Search parties, continuous droppings of leaflets, loudspeaker pleadings, and the leaving behind of magazines and newspapers did nothing to draw out Onoda.
Oddly enough, what made Onoda finally retreat out of the jungle was a university dropout student (named Suzuki) who wanted to find Onoda, a panda, and the Abominable Snowman. He was camped on the island, and Onoda and Suzuki soon became friends. Suzuki said that he had to leave, but that he would return. On March 9, 1974, Suzuki left a note to Onoda along with two photos he had taken with Onoda, as well as a set of orders. Onoda decided to hike for two days to find Suzuki. When Onoda found Suzuki, he saw a special guest: Major Taniguchi, who had commanded Onoda back in 1944. Taniguchi gave Onoda verbal orders to surrender. He never surrendered officially, but he was relieved of duty.
Onoda returned to Japan and became a media sensation, but he hated the way the world had grown without him. He published his memoirs, then moved to Brazil to a small cattle farm. He married a Japanese woman in 1976, then moved back to Japan in 1984 to start a nature camp for kids. He is still alive today, and lives three months of the year in Brazil.
So, in conclusion, Hiroo Onoda joined World War II in 1942 and was sent to Lubang in 1944. Japan surrendered officially September 2, 1945, with the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard the USS Missouri. Onoda continued to believe the war was going on until 1974. So he had a 30 year war. You can read all about his adventures in his memoir: No Surrender: My Thirty-Year War.
Bet you didn't know that!
Before we can begin this strange story, you have to understand the Japanese mentality in 1944. This was a "never give up, never surrender" society. They looked at being a prisoner of war as cowardly and punishable by death; however, some guerilla warfare schools at the time taught that a soldier should stay alive no matter what. They taught that under no circumstances should a soldier take their own life, and they should do anything to win against their enemy. They were taught to be suspicious of everything, especially of enemy tricks. The mentality of the time was that it would take 100 years to beat the Japanese, so they were taught to be willing to fight for the rest of their lives.
Hiroo Onoda was trained in such a place. He was drafted in 1942, and at the end of 1944, he was sent to a little island Lubang, just 75 miles from the Philippines. His orders were to 1.) do anything to frustrate the enemy's actions on the island (which included destroying the airstrip and the pier in the harbor), 2.) not take his own life, and 3.) take as many years as he needed to fulfill his mission. He was sent alone to the island and joined a group of Japanese already in place, but since he was not the senior officer, he was not able to take out the airstrip or the pier. The Americans landed February 28, 1945, and easily took over the island. Onoda was recently promoted to Lieutenant, and the last officer, so he ordered the remaining men to the mountains. The only Japanese soldiers who had not been killed or captured were Onoda and three others (Akatsu, Shimada, and Kozuka).
The four Japanese soldiers basically resorted to survival in the mountains. They raided the villages and soon developed the names "mountain devils" and "mountain bandits". They survived mostly on bananas and berries. Occasionally, they would shoot water buffalo, wild boar, wild chickens, and iguanas. They wouldn't hunt too often not to give away their position. They would frequently move to keep from being discovered.
Akatsu was the first to leave the group. He was tired of the whole thing, so he left in 1949 and surrendered to the Philippine Army. He left a note for Onoda which said he was found by friendly troops and urged them to join him. Akatsu even took an expedition of Philippine soldiers into the mountains to find Onoda's group, but Onoda assumed that Akatsu had switched sides and was working with the enemy. In 1952, a plane flew over and dropped and letters from family and friends to coerce the men out of the mountains, but this was thought to be a very clever attempt to get the men to surrender, so they stayed in hiding.
In 1954, a search party was looking for the men, when Shimada was killed by a stray bullet from the search party, which left only Onoda and Kozuka. A few days later, more flyers were dropped from a plane, while a loudspeaker blared that the war was over. Onoda and Kozuka didn't believe them, so they continued their hiding. That same year, Onoda's own brother spoke on a loudspeaker urging him to come out of hiding and that the war was over. Since they were somewhat far away and could not see the speaker's face, they thought it was another American ploy to get them to surrender.
In 1965, they stole a radio and listened to radio reports from China, but since their minds were stuck 20 years in the past, they didn't believe what they heard about politics or foreign affairs. The only thing that lifted their spirits was that Japan had grown into a major industrial society, which only bolstered their efforts.
In 1972, Onoda and Kozuka were burning rice piles of the islanders. The police were able to arrive and Kozuka was killed, but Onoda escaped back into the wilderness. Search parties, continuous droppings of leaflets, loudspeaker pleadings, and the leaving behind of magazines and newspapers did nothing to draw out Onoda.
Oddly enough, what made Onoda finally retreat out of the jungle was a university dropout student (named Suzuki) who wanted to find Onoda, a panda, and the Abominable Snowman. He was camped on the island, and Onoda and Suzuki soon became friends. Suzuki said that he had to leave, but that he would return. On March 9, 1974, Suzuki left a note to Onoda along with two photos he had taken with Onoda, as well as a set of orders. Onoda decided to hike for two days to find Suzuki. When Onoda found Suzuki, he saw a special guest: Major Taniguchi, who had commanded Onoda back in 1944. Taniguchi gave Onoda verbal orders to surrender. He never surrendered officially, but he was relieved of duty.
Onoda returned to Japan and became a media sensation, but he hated the way the world had grown without him. He published his memoirs, then moved to Brazil to a small cattle farm. He married a Japanese woman in 1976, then moved back to Japan in 1984 to start a nature camp for kids. He is still alive today, and lives three months of the year in Brazil.
So, in conclusion, Hiroo Onoda joined World War II in 1942 and was sent to Lubang in 1944. Japan surrendered officially September 2, 1945, with the signing of the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard the USS Missouri. Onoda continued to believe the war was going on until 1974. So he had a 30 year war. You can read all about his adventures in his memoir: No Surrender: My Thirty-Year War.
Bet you didn't know that!
Friday, October 7, 2011
"The pretty blue-green light"
Marie Skłodowska-Curie is most known for her work with radiation. She studied elements such as uranium and thorium. She even discovered other radioactive elements: polonium (named after Poland) and radium. Her work with radium seems to be most remembered. She went on to study radioactivity, but never seemed to fully understand its effects on the human body. Many people know that she eventually succumbed to the effects of radioactivity.
However, some might not know that she treated test tubes of radium or polonium as if they were just nothing more than a simple ordinary compound. She routinely walked around her laboratory (which was basically a shed) with test tubes of radioactive elements in her pocket. She also would keep these samples in her desk drawer. In the dark, she would often comment about "the pretty blue-green light" the samples emitted in the dark. However, the damaging effects of radioactive isotopes were not known for some time.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie died on July 4, 1934, from aplastic anemia (a condition developing from prolonged exposure to radioactivity where bone marrow does not produce enough quantities of new cells to replenish blood cells, which in this case, it's all three: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets). Interestingly, her notes from the 1890's are thought to be too radioactive to handle to this day. They are kept in boxes lined with lead. Anyone who wants to go through these papers have to be fully suited in a radiation suit. It has been mentioned that even her cookbook is too radioactive to handle freely.
On another note, Marie Skłodowska-Curie is currently the only woman who is buried at the Panthéon, Paris for her own achivements. She and her husband Pierre were moved there in 1995, which was a huge honor for Marie, even though it was 60 years after her death.
Bet you didn't know that!
However, some might not know that she treated test tubes of radium or polonium as if they were just nothing more than a simple ordinary compound. She routinely walked around her laboratory (which was basically a shed) with test tubes of radioactive elements in her pocket. She also would keep these samples in her desk drawer. In the dark, she would often comment about "the pretty blue-green light" the samples emitted in the dark. However, the damaging effects of radioactive isotopes were not known for some time.
Marie Skłodowska-Curie died on July 4, 1934, from aplastic anemia (a condition developing from prolonged exposure to radioactivity where bone marrow does not produce enough quantities of new cells to replenish blood cells, which in this case, it's all three: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets). Interestingly, her notes from the 1890's are thought to be too radioactive to handle to this day. They are kept in boxes lined with lead. Anyone who wants to go through these papers have to be fully suited in a radiation suit. It has been mentioned that even her cookbook is too radioactive to handle freely.
On another note, Marie Skłodowska-Curie is currently the only woman who is buried at the Panthéon, Paris for her own achivements. She and her husband Pierre were moved there in 1995, which was a huge honor for Marie, even though it was 60 years after her death.
Bet you didn't know that!
Monday, October 3, 2011
Big Word: Honorificabilitudinitatibus
Honorificabilitudinitatibus sounds like a made-up word, but it does exist. Not only that, it's been around for quite a while. This long word simply means "honorableness". The word first showed up in the English language around 1600, and by the 1720's, it was called the longest English word (according to Bailey's Dictionary).
For those that are fans of William Shakespeare, they may recognize this massive word. Shakespeare actually used the word in the comedy "Love's Labor's Lost", in Act V, Scene I.
It reads:
"O, they have lived long on the alms-basket of words.
I marvel thy master hath not eaten thee for a word;
for thou art not so long by the head as
honorificabilitudinitatibus: thou art easier
swallowed than a flap-dragon."
Bet you didn't know that!
For those that are fans of William Shakespeare, they may recognize this massive word. Shakespeare actually used the word in the comedy "Love's Labor's Lost", in Act V, Scene I.
It reads:
"O, they have lived long on the alms-basket of words.
I marvel thy master hath not eaten thee for a word;
for thou art not so long by the head as
honorificabilitudinitatibus: thou art easier
swallowed than a flap-dragon."
Bet you didn't know that!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
The 9th President
Most people forget some Presidents of the United States. Some are easy to forget, and some are impossible to forget. Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, the current President - these are usually the easiest to remember. Usually the ones that are forgotten the most are weak Presidents or Presidents who really didn't do much to remember. One President who literally didn't do anything was the 9th President: William Henry Harrison. He is, however, full of expendablenlightenment.
This man was a war hero in the War of 1812, a Senator, a Representative, a Governor, and a US ambassador. He was involved in the Battle of Tippecanoe, which was a major victory for the US, and which led to the Presidential campaign slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler too!" He ran for the Presidency in 1836 as a Whig (a now defunct political party), but so did Martin Van Buren, which is the only time in US history a major political party has intentionally run two candidates at the same time. Harrison didn't get elected, but he ran again in 1840 (with running mate John Tyler, hence the campaign slogan above) and was elected. He was the oldest elected President until Ronald Reagan in 1980.
The man has a very rich and illustrious history, but why have most people not heard of him? His Presidency is but a mere footnote in the annals of American History because the only thing he did in office was die. That sounds cold, but it's true. His opponents joked that he was too old for the Presidency, so to show them up, he read his inaugural address on March 4, 1841, without "bundling up for the weather", and proceeded to give the longest inaugural address in the history the Presidents: close to two hours in length. It was a cold and rainy day anyway, and after his two hour speech, he then went through the streets on a parade. He subsequently caught a cold, which turned into pneumonia. He was the first President to die in office, and he had the shortest Presidency: just 30 days. The only act of any notable rememberance in office was to call a special session of Congress, which he then vetoed.
Interestingly enough, 1841 is one of two times there have been three Presidents in one year (Van Buren, Harrison, Tyler). The other year was 1881.
Bet you didn't know that!
This man was a war hero in the War of 1812, a Senator, a Representative, a Governor, and a US ambassador. He was involved in the Battle of Tippecanoe, which was a major victory for the US, and which led to the Presidential campaign slogan "Tippecanoe and Tyler too!" He ran for the Presidency in 1836 as a Whig (a now defunct political party), but so did Martin Van Buren, which is the only time in US history a major political party has intentionally run two candidates at the same time. Harrison didn't get elected, but he ran again in 1840 (with running mate John Tyler, hence the campaign slogan above) and was elected. He was the oldest elected President until Ronald Reagan in 1980.
The man has a very rich and illustrious history, but why have most people not heard of him? His Presidency is but a mere footnote in the annals of American History because the only thing he did in office was die. That sounds cold, but it's true. His opponents joked that he was too old for the Presidency, so to show them up, he read his inaugural address on March 4, 1841, without "bundling up for the weather", and proceeded to give the longest inaugural address in the history the Presidents: close to two hours in length. It was a cold and rainy day anyway, and after his two hour speech, he then went through the streets on a parade. He subsequently caught a cold, which turned into pneumonia. He was the first President to die in office, and he had the shortest Presidency: just 30 days. The only act of any notable rememberance in office was to call a special session of Congress, which he then vetoed.
Interestingly enough, 1841 is one of two times there have been three Presidents in one year (Van Buren, Harrison, Tyler). The other year was 1881.
Bet you didn't know that!
Friday, September 23, 2011
The Joke That Faded Away
Ever have a joke that nobody seemed to really get? And just the few who did got a really big laugh about it? This happened in 1969 with a band called "The Masked Marauders". There was a fake review in Rolling Stone Magazine about a new supergroup. At the time, there was hype over real supergroups: Blind Faith (with Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood), Crosby/Stills/Nash/Young, etc. There was a joke created to be too irresistible to not believe: a band consisting of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Mick Jagger, and Bob Dylan. The joke went so far as to say that these famous musicians purposefully covered their identities to work together, which they weren't allowed to do because of contracts from the music companies.
There was so much hype over this "supergroup" that an album was actually recorded under the name of "The Masked Marauders" and released that same year. Some people claim they hear Jagger and hear the distinct playing of Harrison or McCartney. If people didn't get the joke, they should have when they read the liner notes and heard the lyrics. If you actually find the album, the songs aren't that good, and the attempts to sound like Jagger, Dylan, etc. aren't that great. There are some samples and bootlegs that still exist, but quite hard to find. If you can find the album, or if you find the liner notes online, they are quite amusing and are better to check out than the actual songs.
On another note, The Traveling Wilburys released music in the late 80's with the members using the last name of Wilbury for each member. It consisted of Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, and Jeff Lynne (of the Electric Light Orchestra).
Bet you didn't know that!
There was so much hype over this "supergroup" that an album was actually recorded under the name of "The Masked Marauders" and released that same year. Some people claim they hear Jagger and hear the distinct playing of Harrison or McCartney. If people didn't get the joke, they should have when they read the liner notes and heard the lyrics. If you actually find the album, the songs aren't that good, and the attempts to sound like Jagger, Dylan, etc. aren't that great. There are some samples and bootlegs that still exist, but quite hard to find. If you can find the album, or if you find the liner notes online, they are quite amusing and are better to check out than the actual songs.
On another note, The Traveling Wilburys released music in the late 80's with the members using the last name of Wilbury for each member. It consisted of Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, and Jeff Lynne (of the Electric Light Orchestra).
Bet you didn't know that!
Monday, September 19, 2011
September 17, 1787
What's so special about September 17, 1787? This day is a special one in American history: it's the day when the Constitution was signed. Fast forward over two hundred years later, Constitution Day is celebrated across the US, and schools that receive federal aid must conduct a form of celebration.
So, in keeping with the theme of this blog, here's some expendablenlightenment that may help you if you take a Constitution Day quiz:
What state did not send anyone to the Constitutional Convention?
-Rhode Island
Where did the Constitutional Convention convene?
-The State House in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
Out of the 55 members, how many were lawyers?
-34
Who is considered the "Father of the Constitution"?
-James Madison
Why was Thomas Jefferson not present?
-He was the American Minister to France and was overseas
How did Thomas Jefferson help write the Constitution?
-He insisted on a Bill of Rights be included (the first 10 amendments)
What compromise allowed for two houses of Congress, one based on population and one based on equal representation?
-Connecticut Compromise
Who wrote the actual text of the Constitution for signing?
-Jacob Shallus, who was paid $30 and whose name never appears on the document
Why did only 39 members sign the Constitution?
-Most the remaining members that didn't sign had already left for home, and a couple refused to sign
We look at politics as being dirty and only for rich people. Nothing has really changed in the last couple hundred years. If you noticed above, not all members signed the Constitution which was because they didn't agree with it. Politics of the past is even more checkered and questionable than it is today. You will see in future posts other examples of this. And as far as the way the Constitution came about, if any one little thing was different, then our country could be very different today.
Bet you didn't know that!
So, in keeping with the theme of this blog, here's some expendablenlightenment that may help you if you take a Constitution Day quiz:
What state did not send anyone to the Constitutional Convention?
-Rhode Island
Where did the Constitutional Convention convene?
-The State House in Philadelphia, where the Declaration of Independence was signed.
Out of the 55 members, how many were lawyers?
-34
Who is considered the "Father of the Constitution"?
-James Madison
Why was Thomas Jefferson not present?
-He was the American Minister to France and was overseas
How did Thomas Jefferson help write the Constitution?
-He insisted on a Bill of Rights be included (the first 10 amendments)
What compromise allowed for two houses of Congress, one based on population and one based on equal representation?
-Connecticut Compromise
Who wrote the actual text of the Constitution for signing?
-Jacob Shallus, who was paid $30 and whose name never appears on the document
Why did only 39 members sign the Constitution?
-Most the remaining members that didn't sign had already left for home, and a couple refused to sign
We look at politics as being dirty and only for rich people. Nothing has really changed in the last couple hundred years. If you noticed above, not all members signed the Constitution which was because they didn't agree with it. Politics of the past is even more checkered and questionable than it is today. You will see in future posts other examples of this. And as far as the way the Constitution came about, if any one little thing was different, then our country could be very different today.
Bet you didn't know that!
Thursday, September 15, 2011
What's Population Density?
Say you didn't really want to be around people, and you wanted to go to a country with a lot of open space. Where would you go? I have ten places (some countries and some territories controlled by countries) that have a small population density, which means there's a lot of space for not a lot of people. The way this is figured out is by taking the population of country then dividing it by the land area of the country (which is listed in square kilometers). And in case you need a refresher, a square kilometer is if you take a square and put in on land, and each end of this square is a kilometer long, that would be a square kilometer. And in case you need another refresher, a kilometer is 0.62 of a mile long, so if you converted these to miles, it would be an even smaller measurement.
10. Mauritania - density: 3.0 people/km2
9. Iceland - density: 3.0 people/ km2 (which is slightly less but rounds to the same)
8. Suriname - density: 2.7 people/km2
7. Australia - density: 2.6 people/km2
6. Namibia - density: 2.5 people/km2
5. French Guiana - density: 2.1 people/km2
4. Mongolia - density: 1.7 people/km2
3. Western Sahara (controlled by Morrocco) - density: 1.3 people/km2
2. Falkland Islands (controlled by United Kingdom) - 0.25 people/km2
1. Greenland (controlled by Denmark) - 0.026/km2
In case you're wondering why Antarctica isn't on this list, it's simple: it isn't a country, and no one claims it as their territory. It would certainly be Number 1 if it was on this list though.
Some of the areas listed above are large areas of land: Greenland, Mongolia, Australia, etc. Oddly enough, if you look at the countries (or territories) that are the most densely populated, they usually small places. For example: Bangladesh (which is only 147,000km2) has a slightly higher population than Russia (which is 17,000,000 km2 and the largest country by land area in the world), which makes Bangladesh's density 1100 people/km2 and Russia's density 8.3 people/km2. And then there's countries like China and India, numbers 1 and 2 in population in the world (China having 1.3 billion, and India having 1.2 billion). China's population density is 140 people/km2 and India's population density is 365 people/km2.
And since we live in the US, I'm sure you're curious where we rank. The 2011 estimate listed the US as having over 312,000,000 people, which puts us 3rd in the world. Land area is 9,826,000 km2, which puts us 3rd if you include territories and 4th if you don't (depending on which source you look at). So our population density is 33.7 people/km2.
Bet you didn't know that!
10. Mauritania - density: 3.0 people/km2
9. Iceland - density: 3.0 people/ km2 (which is slightly less but rounds to the same)
8. Suriname - density: 2.7 people/km2
7. Australia - density: 2.6 people/km2
6. Namibia - density: 2.5 people/km2
5. French Guiana - density: 2.1 people/km2
4. Mongolia - density: 1.7 people/km2
3. Western Sahara (controlled by Morrocco) - density: 1.3 people/km2
2. Falkland Islands (controlled by United Kingdom) - 0.25 people/km2
1. Greenland (controlled by Denmark) - 0.026/km2
In case you're wondering why Antarctica isn't on this list, it's simple: it isn't a country, and no one claims it as their territory. It would certainly be Number 1 if it was on this list though.
Some of the areas listed above are large areas of land: Greenland, Mongolia, Australia, etc. Oddly enough, if you look at the countries (or territories) that are the most densely populated, they usually small places. For example: Bangladesh (which is only 147,000km2) has a slightly higher population than Russia (which is 17,000,000 km2 and the largest country by land area in the world), which makes Bangladesh's density 1100 people/km2 and Russia's density 8.3 people/km2. And then there's countries like China and India, numbers 1 and 2 in population in the world (China having 1.3 billion, and India having 1.2 billion). China's population density is 140 people/km2 and India's population density is 365 people/km2.
And since we live in the US, I'm sure you're curious where we rank. The 2011 estimate listed the US as having over 312,000,000 people, which puts us 3rd in the world. Land area is 9,826,000 km2, which puts us 3rd if you include territories and 4th if you don't (depending on which source you look at). So our population density is 33.7 people/km2.
Bet you didn't know that!
Monday, September 12, 2011
Big Word: Trypanophobia
Here's a quick word for you: trypanophobia. Ever heard of it? I bet you know someone with it. Trypanophobia is the extreme fear of medical procedures involving injections or hypodermic needles. However, if you look in a medical dictionary, it's unlikely you will find it. You will more likely find "needle phobia". It's been reported that about 10% of the population has this phobia, but it's much more common in children in the ages of 5-16.
Bet you didn't know that!
Bet you didn't know that!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Was Missouri Northern or Southern?
One question always comes up in history classes about Missouri: what side was Missouri on in the Civil War? Was it a Northern state? Was it a Southern state? Actually, the shortest answer is both.
Missouri is a very complicated state during the Civil War: it sent 110,000 troops to the north and 40,000 troops to the south.Missouri was a slave state prior to the Civil War, but when war broke out in 1861, Missouri considered to leave the Union in favor of the south. After all, since it was a slave state, it had more in common with the south. The governor at the time Claiborne Jackson wanted to join the south, but military men sided with the north wanted to prevent the south from taking over the state. So what happens when the politicians side with the South, and the military men side with the North?
The short story is that Gov. Jackson and his people left Jefferson City and eventually setup camp in Neosho, MO. The official government (most likely referred to in history as the official government because it was the side that one) in Jefferson City was taken over after Jackson's departure. But Jackson, while in exile in Neosho, posted an Ordinance of Secession from the Union to join the South. However, in Missouri, a plebiscite (a direct vote where an entire electorate is asked to accept or reject a proposal) must be made, and since this wasn't done, most look at the actions in Neosho as renegade and not legitimate.
So most look at the existing system in Jefferson City as the real government, and the Neosho government as the illegitimate one. The story is much longer and most complicated than this, but basically Capt. Lyon chased Gov. Jackson through Missouri, which if you visit the sites for the Battle of Boonville and the Battle of Carthage, you will learn of this chase.
One more piece of trivia: Missouri, as well as, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware were considered Border States. Border states were slave states that didn't secede from the Union. Each one has its own unique history during the Civil War (Maryland had marshall law induced to keep it from seceding, West Virginia broke off of Virginia in 1863, etc.). The Border States were deeply divided and were very scary places to be in that time.
Bet you didn't know that!
Missouri is a very complicated state during the Civil War: it sent 110,000 troops to the north and 40,000 troops to the south.Missouri was a slave state prior to the Civil War, but when war broke out in 1861, Missouri considered to leave the Union in favor of the south. After all, since it was a slave state, it had more in common with the south. The governor at the time Claiborne Jackson wanted to join the south, but military men sided with the north wanted to prevent the south from taking over the state. So what happens when the politicians side with the South, and the military men side with the North?
The short story is that Gov. Jackson and his people left Jefferson City and eventually setup camp in Neosho, MO. The official government (most likely referred to in history as the official government because it was the side that one) in Jefferson City was taken over after Jackson's departure. But Jackson, while in exile in Neosho, posted an Ordinance of Secession from the Union to join the South. However, in Missouri, a plebiscite (a direct vote where an entire electorate is asked to accept or reject a proposal) must be made, and since this wasn't done, most look at the actions in Neosho as renegade and not legitimate.
So most look at the existing system in Jefferson City as the real government, and the Neosho government as the illegitimate one. The story is much longer and most complicated than this, but basically Capt. Lyon chased Gov. Jackson through Missouri, which if you visit the sites for the Battle of Boonville and the Battle of Carthage, you will learn of this chase.
One more piece of trivia: Missouri, as well as, Kentucky, West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware were considered Border States. Border states were slave states that didn't secede from the Union. Each one has its own unique history during the Civil War (Maryland had marshall law induced to keep it from seceding, West Virginia broke off of Virginia in 1863, etc.). The Border States were deeply divided and were very scary places to be in that time.
Bet you didn't know that!
Monday, September 5, 2011
Labor Day
Ever wonder where Labor Day came from?
The first Labor Day was celebrated on September 5, 1882, in Boston by the Central Labor Union, which was the nation's first integrated major trade union. In 1894, several workers were killed by the US military and US marshals during the Pullman Strike (a nationwide strike which embattled railroad workers against the railroad companies). Pres. Cleveland made it a priority to put an end to the strike and increase labor relations, and Congress agreed by the proposal of a federal holiday. Just six days after the end of the strike, Congress unanimously voted in the holiday.
Labor Day is celebrated as the first Monday in September, and is symbolic of the end of summer: no more white for women, beginning of the NFL and college football seasons, the Southern 500 in Darlington was held on Labor Day from 1950-1983 (from 1984-2004, it was held on the weekend), and schools that started summer vacation mid-June will return to session near Labor Day.
Bet you didn't know that!
The first Labor Day was celebrated on September 5, 1882, in Boston by the Central Labor Union, which was the nation's first integrated major trade union. In 1894, several workers were killed by the US military and US marshals during the Pullman Strike (a nationwide strike which embattled railroad workers against the railroad companies). Pres. Cleveland made it a priority to put an end to the strike and increase labor relations, and Congress agreed by the proposal of a federal holiday. Just six days after the end of the strike, Congress unanimously voted in the holiday.
Labor Day is celebrated as the first Monday in September, and is symbolic of the end of summer: no more white for women, beginning of the NFL and college football seasons, the Southern 500 in Darlington was held on Labor Day from 1950-1983 (from 1984-2004, it was held on the weekend), and schools that started summer vacation mid-June will return to session near Labor Day.
Bet you didn't know that!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Missouri's Boot?
Missouri has one feature that most find interesting, but they don't seem to understand where it came from, and although this is a brief explanation, you might win awards in the trivia circuit for this one. Where did Missouri get its bootheel from?
The answer goes back a long time to when Missouri was becoming a state. When you look at territory maps, there is no bootheel, but then it becomes a state, and there it is. In 1821, Missouri became a state as part of the Missouri Compromise (which allowed Maine to become the 20th state and a free state, and Missouri to become the 21st state as a slave state). No state above the lattitude line 36°30′ could become a slave state, and Missouri would have been the last above this line. This lattitude line is the southern border of Missouri, and if you follow it east, the border between Kentucky and Tennessee. So, as defined, there should be no bootheel.
Enter a pioneer planter named John Hardeman Walker. He lived in this region, and his land area would become part of the Arkansas Territory. He claimed that the area had more in common with areas to the north: places such as Cape Girardeau, Ste. Genevieve, and St. Louis. (There are theories that there was an exchange of cash for the favor of being part of Missouri.) So a small exception was made for the area, which includes the counties of Dunklin, New Madrid, and Pemiscot.
There are other stories about why this land was included with Missouri, most of which are quite humorous. One claimed that Missourians didn't want to be associated with those from Arkansas because it was sickly in Arkansas, or that Arkansas was "full of bears and copperhead snakes, so no civilized person could spend even a night there".
One more piece of trivia: the Missouri Bootheel was once referred to as Lapland, because it was where Missouri lapped over into Arkansas. Most people don't say this anymore, and even the region has changed. Some people refer to the Bootheel as the area that encompasses the entire southeastern lowlands, which includes parts of the following counties: Butler, Mississippi, Ripley, Scott, Stoddard, and the extreme southern portion of Cape Girardeau county. This area is known as the northern edge of the Mississippi Embayment.
Bet you didn't know that!
The answer goes back a long time to when Missouri was becoming a state. When you look at territory maps, there is no bootheel, but then it becomes a state, and there it is. In 1821, Missouri became a state as part of the Missouri Compromise (which allowed Maine to become the 20th state and a free state, and Missouri to become the 21st state as a slave state). No state above the lattitude line 36°30′ could become a slave state, and Missouri would have been the last above this line. This lattitude line is the southern border of Missouri, and if you follow it east, the border between Kentucky and Tennessee. So, as defined, there should be no bootheel.
Enter a pioneer planter named John Hardeman Walker. He lived in this region, and his land area would become part of the Arkansas Territory. He claimed that the area had more in common with areas to the north: places such as Cape Girardeau, Ste. Genevieve, and St. Louis. (There are theories that there was an exchange of cash for the favor of being part of Missouri.) So a small exception was made for the area, which includes the counties of Dunklin, New Madrid, and Pemiscot.
There are other stories about why this land was included with Missouri, most of which are quite humorous. One claimed that Missourians didn't want to be associated with those from Arkansas because it was sickly in Arkansas, or that Arkansas was "full of bears and copperhead snakes, so no civilized person could spend even a night there".
One more piece of trivia: the Missouri Bootheel was once referred to as Lapland, because it was where Missouri lapped over into Arkansas. Most people don't say this anymore, and even the region has changed. Some people refer to the Bootheel as the area that encompasses the entire southeastern lowlands, which includes parts of the following counties: Butler, Mississippi, Ripley, Scott, Stoddard, and the extreme southern portion of Cape Girardeau county. This area is known as the northern edge of the Mississippi Embayment.
Bet you didn't know that!
Monday, August 29, 2011
Hello! or Hallo, Hullo, Hollo... Ahoy? Hǽlan??
Welcome to the debut of expendablenlightenment, a collection on non-sensical information, presented to you by Metro Business College's assortment of staff. The goal of these posts from this blog is meant to inform and entertain. With all hope, you might learn things that will assist you in winning a trivia competition. If you do win, you must share your winnings with us. Just kidding. (Or am I?)
Since this is all about welcome, I guess I should delve into greetings. What greeting was proposed by Alexander Graham Bell (inventor of the telephone)? It wasn't hello like we say today. It was actually "ahoy", the naval term. By 1889, the greeting was pretty much "hello" like we usually say today, and the women who worked at the central telephone exchange were called "hello-girls" because of the greeting.
But what about the word "hello"? There are a few places it could've come from. Perhaps "hullo", which is defined as a British variant of our "hello", but it can be found in publications as early as around 1800. Then there's "hallo" which is a variant of the word "hollo". "Hollo" is to shout or call attention in a hunt when what's being hunted has been found. By the 1860's, "hollo" had become "hallo" mostly. Also, interestingly enough, the word "hallo" means "hello" in German, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, and Afrikaans. There's also a word similar which is obsolete now: "holla" which means stop. Either way, it would get someone's attention, like yelling "Hello!"
In the end, most words follow a life: they begin, they change, and many times they die. The key is that they change. Most likely, "hello" came from the Old English word "hǽlan", which comes from a German origin. This word in German ends up today "heil". Most of the English language comes from German origin, and since words change (sounds, meanings, spellings, etc.), this is the most likely source.
Bet you didn't know that!
Since this is all about welcome, I guess I should delve into greetings. What greeting was proposed by Alexander Graham Bell (inventor of the telephone)? It wasn't hello like we say today. It was actually "ahoy", the naval term. By 1889, the greeting was pretty much "hello" like we usually say today, and the women who worked at the central telephone exchange were called "hello-girls" because of the greeting.
But what about the word "hello"? There are a few places it could've come from. Perhaps "hullo", which is defined as a British variant of our "hello", but it can be found in publications as early as around 1800. Then there's "hallo" which is a variant of the word "hollo". "Hollo" is to shout or call attention in a hunt when what's being hunted has been found. By the 1860's, "hollo" had become "hallo" mostly. Also, interestingly enough, the word "hallo" means "hello" in German, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, and Afrikaans. There's also a word similar which is obsolete now: "holla" which means stop. Either way, it would get someone's attention, like yelling "Hello!"
In the end, most words follow a life: they begin, they change, and many times they die. The key is that they change. Most likely, "hello" came from the Old English word "hǽlan", which comes from a German origin. This word in German ends up today "heil". Most of the English language comes from German origin, and since words change (sounds, meanings, spellings, etc.), this is the most likely source.
Bet you didn't know that!
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