A Brief History On February 27, 2018, the entire world celebrates International Polar Bear Day, a day to appreciate Ursus maritimus, the large white bear of the North. The largest land carnivore, Polar Bears are cute and cuddly looking, especially when young, but are probably the most dangerous of bears to humans. Needing ice from which to hunt their main prey (seals and other sea mammals), the loss of Polar Ice is threatening these magnificent animals. Digging Deeper Created by Polar Bears International, a Montana based non-profit organization dedicated to the education, research and action needed to save Polar Bears…
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A Brief History On February 26, 1991, English computer scientist Tim Berners-Lee of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN of Switzerland) introduced his invention of the WorldWideWeb to the public, the first publicly available internet browser. Berners-Lee is now a professor at Oxford University in England and has authored several books about computers and the internet. Digging Deeper In 1989, Berners-Lee had implemented the first successful communication between a server and an HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) user via the internet, and also invented the HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) to support his invention of the WorldWideWeb, developments that made browsing…
A Brief History On February 25, 1836, Sam Colt patented his cap and ball revolver that would give rise to all the modern revolvers that followed. Early attempts at revolvers in the flintlock era were disasters waiting to happen, as all too often the firing of one cylinder would set off the others as well. Over the years some iconic revolvers have been produced, and until the late 20th Century they remained the sidearm of choice for police and private citizens (although the semi-automatic pistol had superseded revolvers for military use for the most part as of the early 20th…
A Brief History On February 18, 1930, as previously chronicled in our article “First Cow Milked in the Sky!” we told of the first cow to fly in a fixed wing airplane, which also happened to be the first cow milked while flying in an airplane. (We still do not know why!) We use this momentous milestone in the history of Mankind and Cattlekind to regale our readers with 10 Amazing Facts About Cows. Digging Deeper 1. Why do cows wear bells? Because their horns don’t work! (This one is obviously a joke, so laugh and go to the next…
A Brief History On February 16, 1968, the first emergency 9-1-1 (we prefer 911) system was put into service in Haleyville, Alabama, a town of about 4100 people. Part of the North American Numbering Plan (NANP) of telephone numbering systems, 911 is a rapid way for people to dial the police or emergency rescue services such as fire fighting or ambulance service. Covering the United States and Canada, 911 service is available in about 98% of all locations in these 2 countries. Digging Deeper In addition to connecting the caller with an emergency dispatcher, about 96% of the United States…