Browsing: Science & Technology

A Brief History On this date, September 28, 48 BC, Pompey the Great was assassinated on the orders of King Ptolemy of Egypt after landing in Egypt.  Although we know of this incident, many open problems concern Ancient Egypt, and some of them may never be solved.  Egyptian archaeology is in a state of constant transition, with much of the terminology and chronology in dispute.  The archaeological record is incomplete, with countless relics and artifacts missing or destroyed.  New archaeological discoveries can call into question previous conclusions about Ancient Egypt.  Furthermore, there are internal problems of overall cohesion of various…

A Brief History On September 4, 1888, George Eastman patented the first camera that used rolls of film and with it, the trade name Kodak.  For the next 100+ years this was the way we took photographs, until digital photography has made film cameras all but obsolete.  Many products that were marvels in their day have become obsolete within a matter of decades, or within 100 years or so.  Here we list 10 triumphs of technology that (relatively) quickly became obsolete. Digging Deeper 10. Roll Film Camera, 1888-1988. When the first successful digital camera was developed by Fuji (the DS-1P,…

A Brief History On September 2, 2013, the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge completed a rebuild project that resulted in it becoming the widest bridge in the world, as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records in 2014. Digging Deeper A $6.5 billion project that was started in 2002, the Eastern half of the bridge was made into 10 lanes side by side instead of the previous double decker arrangement of 5 lanes in each deck.  This made the bridge an incredible 258.33 feet wide, compared to the original 57.5 feet.  Original construction cost only $77 million, but the completion…

A Brief History On September 1, 1914, the last known living Passenger Pigeon died in the Cincinnati Zoo.  When Martha the Pigeon died, her species became extinct, and extinct because of over hunting by people.  Once in flocks so great people said you could knock them from the air with a broom, the birds were slaughtered without regard to conservation, and now they are gone, just like many other species.  Here we list 10 notable animal species or varieties that are either totally extinct or nearly so because of the actions of people.  Perhaps cloning can bring some of them…

A Brief History On August 31, 1854, a seminal moment in the history of illness and scientific application of anti-disease efforts struck the Broad Street area of Soho, London, England, when a severe cholera outbreak began.  Before it was over, 626 people would die of the disease, but scientific study of the outbreak would lead to the saving of millions of lives in the future.  (Note: The neighborhood of the outbreak is now known as Carnaby Street.) Digging Deeper Small outbreaks of cholera had plagued London in 1854, and on August 31 the Broad Street area was hit.  The cholera…