A Brief History On October 15, 1910, the non-rigid airship, America, set off from Atlantic City, New Jersey on the first attempt to cross the Atlantic Ocean by humans in a powered aircraft. After a flight of over 1300 miles, not all in the right direction, and after a harrowing 71 hours of flight, the crew of 5 managed to signal a ship passing below them and along with their cat, entered the lifeboat carried aboard the airship and abandoned the ill fated blimp, watching it drift away never to be seen again. Digging Deeper The “genius” behind the record…
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A Brief History On January 11, 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther L. Terry released a landmark report finally confirming what millions of people had suspected all along: that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer, heart disease, and a host of other deadly health problems. Although Dr. Terry’s report was hardly the first anti-smoking publication – King James I wrote about the negative effects of smoking as early as 1604 – it was the first publication that had a major impact around the world and a lasting effect on smoking reduction. Once people are addicted to nicotine, though, quitting is not easy.…
A Brief History On October 12, 1654, the Dutch city of Delft was the scene of a spectacular tragedy when a large gunpowder storehouse exploded, destroying much of the city and killing over 100 people. Another 1000+ people were injured. The incident is remembered as “The Delft Explosion” or “The Delft Thunderclap,” and was certainly not a unique accident concerning gunpowder. Digging Deeper The Delft Explosion was precipitated by the caretaker of the gunpowder magazine (the term used for a powder storehouse), Cornelis Soetens, went to test a sample of the gunpowder. Exactly what the ill fated man did is…
A Brief History On October 11, 1910, with aviation still in its infancy, President Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt took a flight in a Wright Brothers airplane piloted by Archibald Hoxsey, a former auto mechanic from Illinois. The flight, which took place near St. Louis, Missouri, was the first time an American President had ever flown in an airplane, starting a long tradition of US Presidents flying to vacations, international meetings, campaign events, and whatever other reason the Executive needs to travel. Digging Deeper Oddly enough, Roosevelt’s flight was not the first ever by a national head of state, as the Tsar…
A Brief History In the 1870s, sheet metals appeared in the United States being used for shingle roofing, stamped ornamental ceilings, and exterior facades. Today, aluminum and galvanized sheet metal are quite popular. Each of them has its pros and cons. To determine which of the presented materials is better, it is necessary to consider their characteristics in detail. Digging Deeper Galvanized sheet metal The price of galvanized products is lower; however, the complexity of processing such elements and the difficulty in mounting them level this advantage. Zinc-coated steel is protected from aggressive external influences, but be aware that the…