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!
Monday, November 28, 2011
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!
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