A Brief History On March 22, 1960, Scientists Arthur Schawlow and Charles Townes of Bell Labs in New Jersey patented their invention of the LASER, a device that concentrates and focuses visible light that today we find useful in a myriad of applications. Without the laser, we would not have CD’s and DVD’s, BluRay’s and the like. Digging Deeper The theoretical possibility of creating a laser or laser like device was proposed by Albert Einstein in 1917 and other theoretical scientific work contributing to the development of the laser (and its predecessor, the maser) continued throughout the 20th Century. In…
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A Brief History On March 21, 1800, Pius VII was crowned Pope of the Roman Catholic Church in Venice, Italy. In Venice because of armed conflict taking place in Italy at the time, Pius was crowned with a tiara (crown) made of papier-mache! Popes are normally seen wearing either their imposing Mitre or their beanie-like Zucchetto. Today we use this historical deviation from normal papal headwear to list 10 Famous Religious Hats and Headgear, head coverings either famous or of particular interest. (Note: That circle of light around my head is called a “halo”…) Digging Deeper 1. Papal Tiara. A…
A Brief History On March 20, 2018, we are still recovering from screening the new horror/drama/thriller, Unsane, which premiers on Friday, March 23, 2018 across the United States. This movie is something special, filmed entirely on smart phones, but with the excellent picture quality you would expect from normal Hollywood camera equipment. The unique filming contributes to the creepy pall the movie casts over the audience’s grasp of reality. Without monsters, demons, or excessive gore, the film nonetheless created more suspense, anxiety and terror in us than any movie in recent years. The audience clapped at the end, if that…
A Brief History On March 20, 1922, the USS Langley CV-1 was commissioned as the first American aircraft carrier in the US Navy. The ship had previously been a coal hauling ship (collier) named USS Jupiter AC-3 and had been converted for use with airplanes. The US Navy had seen the value of airplanes as anti-ship weapons when Army Air Corp Maj. Gen. Billy Mitchell demonstrated his ability to sink or heavily damage battleships by aerial attack. Of course, the scouting ability of an air fleet greatly expanded the ability of a sea going commander to reconnoiter the seas around…
A Brief History On December 9, 1996, Casino Niagara opened in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Many people in Canada have had their lives changed by striking it lucky in a casino. Over the years, a number of lucky Canadians have turned a small bet into a million dollar win in a few seconds. Clearly, not everyone can be this lucky; however, it is good to feel inspired by finding out how other people have won a fortune. The following are some of the biggest Canadian casino wins in history. Digging Deeper Mega Moolah Makes Another Winner Among the online slots with…