Category: Discovery & Inventions

A WILD-EYED man waving a bottle of gold dust raced down the main street of the tiny town of San Francisco, shouting as he ran: ‘‘Gold! Gold! Gold from the American River!’’ It was May 15, 1848, and soon there was madness in the air, madness that grew and grew as gold fever raged. One of those who lived through the insanity later recalled: ‘‘All went off to the mines, some On carts, some on horses, and some on crutches, and one went in a litter.’’ The Forty-Niners

Time has fascinated and mystified men for centuries. To measure and record the passing of the hours, minutes and seconds is to be part of the great pageant of the Universe, to step into another dimension. – Atomic Clock

The Brunels, father and son, lived when Britain was becoming the world’s main industrial power. The father, Marc, was born in France in 1769. His Royalist sympathies nearly cost him his life during the French Revolution but, in 1793, he was shipped to safety in America.

Getting to the other side — that has been the problem for men whenever they have been faced by a river or valley — and they have arrived at many different kinds of solutions. The Emperor of Rome stood with his Consuls looking over the River Tiber. – Bridges

Andrew Carnegie, who became a dollar millionaire while still quite young, was born of poor parents in Dunfermline, Scotland, in 1835. His father was a weaver operating a hand loom and his mother added to the meagre family fortunes by making shoes. Young Andrew was bright even as a child and stood out at school as having a better grasp of detail and a greater understanding than the average pupil. But his difficulties as a child influenced his later life, making him aware of the needs of others.

Most scientists begin their careers after rigorous training and learning. But Antonius van Leeuwenhoek was an entirely self-taught amateur. Born in 1632, he spent most of his life in his native town of Delft in Holland, where he ran a drapery business.

Oil, gas and coal, which are the world’s supply of fossil fuels, will sooner or later, run out. In preparation for this, considerable work is already being done to find Energy Alternatives. Nuclear power is just one of the considerations. Another natural and perhaps most obvious source of energy is the sun. Here, we give thought to the many other alternative energy sources.

Every day the Sun pours down on to the Earth enough energy to power every house, factory, car, ship and plane in the world for about 30 years. A tiny amount of this energy is used to evaporate the oceans to make clouds, to drive the winds, or by plants in photosynthesis. – Solar Energy

The year 1903 is not such a long time ago. But many people are not alive now though who were living then. But the changes that have occurred in these many years are very great indeed. – The Fastest Possible Speed