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When were computers invented?

A familiar name in the computer industry, Hewlett-Packard, was founded in 1939. The two founders developed an audio oscillating machine at that time. Sound effects engineers used this equipment for the Disney movie "Fantasia" in 1940. In the same year as Zuse's Z3, computer pioneer Alan Turing and others had a major influence on the design of the first Bombe computer. Influenced heavily by the Polish mechanical decryption engine "Bomba," the Bombes played a major role in Allied intelligence-gathering operations during World War II.

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Who were Hans and Zacharias Janssen?

Hans and Zacharias created the first microscopes through experimenting with different lenses placed at the ends of tubes. Zacharias is typically given credit as the creator of the first microscope, but his birth records suggest his father played an essential role in its creation due to his young age. Records detailing Zacharias' life were destroyed during the bombing of Middelburg by the Germans during World War II.\nThe most well-known version of their microscope was an adjustable sheath consisting of three different tubes with a bi-convex lens as the eyepiece and a plano-convex objectiv..

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What are some interesting facts about Alexander Hamilton?

Hamilton and his brother were abandoned by their father shortly before their mother died of a fever. Because she was still legally married to her husband, who was not Hamilton's father, her husband was able to seize all of her assets, leaving the boys penniless. Hamilton then found a position as a shipping clerk. He was talented enough that he was left in charge at the age of 16.\nHe moved to America soon afterward, attending King's College to become a lawyer. Soon he joined the growing independence movement, first gaining fame as a talented speaker and pamphleteer and later joining ..

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Where can you find a list of names of the soldiers who fought in Vietnam?

Jan Scruggs and several fellow veterans founded the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund in April 1979. Scruggs himself served in Vietnam in the 199th Light Infantry Brigade from 1969 to 1970. The organization's founding purpose is to acknowledge and recognize the service and sacrifice of all Americans who served during the Vietnam War. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund lobbied Congress for a two-acre plot of land within Constitution Gardens.\nSenator Mathias of Maryland and Senator Warner of Virginia supported the effort. President Jimmy Carter approved, and on July 1, 1980, he signed legisla..

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What are some fun facts about Cleopatra?

Cleopatra's father was King Ptolemy XII, descended from King Ptolemy I Soter of Egypt who once served as a general in Alexander the Great's army before taking over Egypt. Their family created the Ptolemaic Empire, amassing power and prestige. The identity of Cleopatra's mother is unknown, but historians speculate that she was Cleopatra V Tryphaena, Ptolemy XII's sister.\nPtolemy XII died when Cleopatra was 18, leaving the throne for her and her brother Ptolemy XIII, who was 10 years old. The two siblings most likely married each other at this time. However, complications ar..

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Who ruled England during Shakespeare's lifetime?

Following the 20 years of extreme persecution by Elizabeth's older sister Mary I, which earned her the nickname "Bloody Mary," Mary died, and Elizabeth I took the throne. She re-instituted the Church of England as the official religion, garnering popularity with the masses.\nIn 1568, Mary Queen of Scots was forced to abdicate the Scottish crown to her son James IV and fled to England. Until she was beheaded in 1587, Mary Queen of Scots made numerous attempts at rebellion and the overthrow of Elizabeth. Elizabeth I, known as the "Virgin Queen," had no direct heirs. Upon her death in 1603, ..

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Who invented the protractor?

The first complex, three-arm protractor was invented in 1801 by a U.S. naval captain named Joseph Huddart. The three-arm protractor featured a static center arm attached to two outer arms that can be rotated. This allows the two outer arms to be set at any relative angle to the static center arm. Protractors also come in plastic varieties with no movable parts.

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What are some names of famous Gold Rush towns?

After the discovery of gold in 1848, miners' campsites spread over a roughly 100-mile area in northern California, a zone of rock gold deposits that would come to be known as "The Mother Lode." Camps became permanent settlements when longer-term mining operations were carried out nearby. Mining towns were visited by campers to purchase supplies and for leisure. According to Wikipedia, much of the recovered gold was used directly in these settlements, for payment to merchants or in local banks.\nMany of the Gold Rush towns declined once gold mining stopped. Some, like Columbia or Sonora, w..

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What is inside the Great Pyramid of Giza?

In addition to three distinct chambers, the interior of the Great Pyramid appears as a labyrinth. Narrow passageways, shafts and corridors connect the three rooms, which exist on multiple levels. The lowest level of the Great Pyramid contains the unnamed chamber. This chamber, never intended for viewing, forms from granite and resides deep in bedrock. It contains little besides a small sarcophagus. An ascending chamber connects that chamber with the Grand Gallery on the main level. This tall room serves as a main entrance; an ancient security system of sliding granite blocks prevented theft an..

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What was the coup d'etat that occurred during the French Revolution?

Bonaparte had used his military prowess to squash revolts against the Constitution of 1795. Due to these maneuvers, he became extremely popular and used that popularity to claim power and give stability to France's turbulent government. Bonaparte's coup came at the end of an 11-year period of terror and bloodshed in France.\nIn 1785, under the pressure of the French people, France's National Assembly voted to end the feudal system in France. In 1791, the assembly then voted to establish a constitutional monarchy form of government in an attempt to appease both the king and the p..

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