Browsing: Science & Technology

A Brief History On June 11, 2002, the House of Representatives of the United States Congress officially recognized Italian American inventor Antonio Meucci as the inventor of the telephone.  Well, sort of!  Depending on exactly who is interpreting the resolution passed by the House of Representative the resolution either gives Meucci credit for the invention or merely gives him credit for taking part in the development of the research that enabled the invention of the telephone.  The US Senate did not agree to pass a similar resolution, and of course, the US Patent Office awarded the patent for the telephone…

Read More

A Brief History In 1939, German scientist Adolf Friedrich Johann Butenandt won the Noble Prize in Chemistry for his work on sex hormones, while Croatian-Swiss scientist Leopold Ruzicka co-won for his work on polymethylenes and higher terpenes. Both men had previously and independently partially synthesized testosterone from a cholesterol base. Digging Deeper Testosterone is the primary male sexual hormone in humans and is also what is called an anabolic steroid, an androgen that helps males build the heavier muscular and skeletal body mass that differentiates men from women. Testosterone keeps men healthy and strong, prevents osteoporosis and contributes to male…

Read More

A Brief History On June 4, 1784, Élisabeth Thible became the first woman to fly in an untethered hot air balloon, soaring for a 4 kilometer trip that took 45 minutes and reached perhaps 5000 feet above the ground, making her the world’s first female aviatrix.  Today we discus 10 brave women who dared death or severe injury in the quest of a thrill or an accomplishment that other women could be proud of.   (Note: 10 is not enough to give dare devil flying women justice, so an additional list of 10 Military Women Aviators will be forthcoming!) Digging Deeper…

Read More

A Brief History On June 1, 2009, General Motors, once the single corporation that most personified America filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, a shocking turn of events for a once mighty company.  So iconic was General Motors, that US Secretary of Defense (1953-1957) Charles Wilson, a former CEO of General Motors, has been often misquoted as saying, “What’s good for GM is what’s good for the country.”  The real quote was not quite as provocative, but still very telling about the importance of GM to the United States and vice versa.  When a US Senator asked Wilson about the conflict…

Read More

A Brief History On May 21, 2011, Christian radio broadcaster Harold Camping had predicted that the world as we know it would end, with the return of Jesus Christ and the advent of the “Rapture,” followed by months of fire and brimstone resulting in the destruction of Earth. If you were paying attention on that date, you will note that the end of times did not in fact begin on May 21, 2011! Many people have predicted the end of the world or the end of the world as we know it, and so far, each has been wrong.  We…

Read More