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!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)