In 1794, U.S.-born inventor Eli Whitney patented the cotton gin, a machine that revolutionized the production of cotton by greatly speeding up the process of removing seeds from cotton fiber. By the mid-19th century, cotton had become America’s leading export. Despite its success, the gin made little money for Whitney due to patent-infringement issues. Also, …
Continue reading “Eli Whitney Patented the Cotton Gin on March 14, 1794”
Pi (often represented by the lower-case Greek letter π), one of the most well-known mathematical constants, is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. For any circle, the distance around the edge is a little more than three times the distance across. Pi has interested people around the world for over 4,000 years. …
I need your help with the Moland House. After 15 years of tireless effort and superb leadership, Jo-Anne Mullen has decided to step down from organizing the annual reenactment at Moland House. In order to make sure this event continues uninterrupted, I am taking the reins of organizing the event (sadly this means I will not be …
Perry is made by fermenting the juice of freshly squeezed pears with the help of natural yeasts. As apples are to cider, so pears are to perry. Perries have complex but subtle flavors that are typically more delicate than cider; good perry can be like a subtle white wine. In some parts of West England …
Cider has a long and rich history in America. It was the beverage of choice from the first English settlers in the 16th Century until well into the late 19th Century. When the Mayflower suffered beam damaged in a storm badly enough to consider turning back to England, a large iron screw was taken from …
In March 1812, the Boston Gazette ran a political cartoon depicting “a new species of monster”: “The Gerry-mander.” The forked-tongue creature was shaped like a contorted Massachusetts voting district that the state’s Jeffersonian Republicans had drawn to benefit their own party. Governor (and future vice president) Elbridge Gerry signed off on his party’s redistricting plan …
I know I am going to get a lot of sixth grade jibes for writing about what we call Uranus but here goes. Until 1781, the known solar system consisted of six planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn). These were all the planets that could be observed with the naked eye. The others …
Continue reading “When George III had a Valid Claim to Uranus”
In the movie Ghostbusters[i], Gozer asks Ray “Are you a God?” After the first disastrous encounter, he is then admonished by Winston: “Ray, when someone asks you ‘Are you a God?’, you say YES!” The problem with that is then you might have to prove your omnipotence. Eclipses often were viewed as supernatural phenomena and …
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April 7, 2024 @ Richard Wall HouseDiscuss Science and see gear1:00 – 4:00pm and April 8, 2024 @ Historic Rittenhouse TownActually SEE THE ECLIPSE! 1:00 – 4:00pm A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun in such a manner that the Moon’s shadow sweeps over Earth’s surface. This shadow consists …
Continue reading “UPCOMING EVENT — Observing the Solar Eclipse with David Rittenhouse”
Well, today we lose an hour of sleep to the interest of commerce. Don’t worry, you will get it back in November. Before the middle of the 19th Century, keeping time was more of an art than a science. Time pieces and clocks were available, even common in certain circles but they were notoriously inaccurate. …
Continue reading “Ben Franklin DID NOT Invent Daylight Savings Time!”
Michael Carver -- Historical Interpreter/Reenactor 