Browsing: Science & Technology

A Brief History On July 14, 1791, a buddy of Benjamin Franklin triggered a series of riots in England eponymously named “The Priestly Riots.” Digging Deeper English scientist and polymath, adept in the ways of chemistry, electricity, philosophy, theology, grammar, politics and education, he even invented carbonated water.  His main crime in the eyes of English traditionalists was supporting the ongoing French Revolution, especially in regard to religion, with “reason” replacing much of the religious tenets of more mystical themes and his dissent against the Church of England. Not only did Priestly support the French Revolution, he had also been…

A Brief History On July 11, 1979, America’s first space station, Skylab, reentered Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrated over the Indian Ocean and Australia. Digging Deeper Launched in 1973, to great public excitement, Skylab is the only space station to be operated only by the US.  Children were invited by NASA to submit ideas for experiments to be conducted on Skylab, and the author of this article submitted an experiment with welding in space.  The experiment was not accepted, but a participation letter was issued. Skylab was only occupied for 171 of the over 2200 days it spent in orbit, its…

A Brief History On July 10, 1985, the Rainbow Warrior, a ship owned and operated by Greenpeace, an environmental activist organization, was sunk by bombs placed by French government operatives while in Auckland, New Zealand harbor, resulting in a single death. Digging Deeper The French intelligence agency Directorate-General for External Security, or DGSE, was responsible for state sanctioned attack, code named Opération Satanique.  Obviously, France initially denied any government involvement with the terroristic act, but captured French operatives proved the involvement of the French government. Rainbow Warrior, was a small ship of 418 tons and a length of just over…

A Brief History On July 7, 1992, the New York Court of Appeals, the highest state court in New York, ruled that women in that state have every bit as much a right to go bare breasted as men do. Digging Deeper The United States is a country that prides itself on individual and group freedoms, as well as equal treatment under the law regardless of race, creed, color, or gender, but laws against public toplessness by women have been a common factor among the various states. As of 2019, only six states have decided that women are free to…

A Brief History On June 30, 1908, the Tunguska region of Siberia, Russia was rocked by an incredible explosion that stunned people hundreds of miles away.  Perhaps 80 million trees in the Taiga Forest were flattened, and as many as three people died.  Luckily, the event occurred in an unpopulated area. Digging Deeper Covering an area of 830 square miles, the event was caused by an above ground explosion, three to six miles high, of an asteroid, probably 160 to 200 feet in diameter.  The airburst left no crater on the ground and initially puzzled investigators.  The asteroid is believed…