Browsing: Inventions

A Brief History On November 18, 1996, the Channel Tunnel, or more familiarly, the Chunnel, was the scene of a terrifying event as a train carrying semi-tractor trailers, or “Heavy Goods Vehicles” as they are known in Europe, along with their drivers, caught on fire, probably due to arson. Digging Deeper The driver, or engineer, knew of the fire but planned on going through anyway, but the train stalled 12 miles into the 31 mile long tunnel.  The problem quickly became apparent as thick smoke enveloped the locomotive and the passenger car. Luckily, the event did not turn into a…

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A Brief History On November 17, 1869, the Suez Canal in Egypt was inaugurated, providing passage to and from the Red Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.  Just over 120 miles long, the canal can accommodate ships up to 254 feet wide.  (Note: The author has passed through the Suez Canal four times.)  Considered an incredible engineering feat at the time, we ask you what engineering marvel is the greatest? Digging Deeper Some suggestions to choose from include The Great Pyramid at Giza (2570 BC), which was built without any power equipment. The Panama Canal (1914) is 51 miles long but…

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A Brief History On November 14, 1910, self-taught aviator Eugene Ely took off from the deck of the USS Birmingham, near Norfolk, Virginia.  Piloting a Curtiss Pusher airplane, Ely made history by becoming the first person to take off from a ship in an airplane. Digging Deeper The temporary runway constructed over the front portion of the cruiser was only 83 feet long, barely long enough to allow the plane to take off.  In fact, on the historic flight, the wheels of the primitive plane dragged in the water and Ely’s goggles were covered with spray! After the brush with…

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A Brief History On September 27, 1962, the book, Silent Spring, by Rachel Carson was published.  The book dealt with environmental science and focused on the widespread use of pesticides and the disinformation provided by the manufacturers of those chemicals. Digging Deeper Carson made a case that the indiscriminate use of these chemicals was poisoning the environment and killing off many beneficial insects along with the pests.  Additionally, many birds suffered ill effects from the pesticides, and Carson projected that one day the birds would be gone, hence the title of the book. You might have thought a cataclysmic environmental…

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A Brief History On September 17, 1961, downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was the site of the first retractable roof arena in the world, although its purpose may surprise you! Digging Deeper The Civic Arena was built mainly as the home of the Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, although it moved into the sporting world in a big way in 1967 when it became the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins NHL hockey team, until 2010, when it finally closed. Of course, the 17,000 seat arena also hosted many other sporting events, professional and amateur, including basketball, wrestling, boxing, soccer, figure skating, gymnastics, and…

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