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August 8th, 2007 | 
Author: In our modern world, we don’t even give a thought to the tremendous computation power in even the least expensive computers. Here is an interesting look at some of the things one of the very first computer ENIAC could do:
The original press conference announcing the ENIAC was held on 1 February, 1946. The reporters were addressed by Major General Gladeon M. Barnes, head of Research and Development Service of the Office of the Chief of Ordnance, Eckert, Mauchly, Brainerd, and Goldstine. Arthur Burks and Kite Sharpless conducted a formal ENIAC demonstration showing five simple problems:
- 5,000 additions in one second
- 50 multiplications in one second
- Generation of squares and cubes
- Generation of sine and cosine table, to be tabulated
- A more complicated computation
Compared to modern computers, this type of demonstration would be considered a total failure. But it is from these early machines that the knowledge to make modern computers were derived.
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Vice President Johnson Was Assigned the Task of Unifying the U.S. Satellite Programs
June 24, 1961
If you look up into the sky on a clear night, you might see among the sparkling stars and planets an object that is moving slowly across the dark sky. That little light is no star; it’s a satellite orbiting the earth. There are many out there, thanks in part to the efforts of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson.
On June 24, 1961, the public learned of President Kennedy’s letter assigning Vice President Johnson the high-priority task of unifying the United States satellite programs. After the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the world’s first artificial satellite, in 1957, the U.S. space program skyrocketed. But the program was plagued with rivalries between competing government agencies and expanding costs. It needed strong leadership.
Under Vice President Johnson, the National Space Council recommended that National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) provide policy coordination with all government agencies involved in space flight. NASA established its command and control center, the Manned Spacecraft Center (now known as the Johnson Space Center), in Houston, in Johnson’s home state of Texas.
The U.S. space program had two main goals: one, develop a system of unmanned satellites that would orbit the earth and provide global telecommunications; and two, pursue manned and unmanned space exploration. Working toward both goals, NASA truly launched the U.S. into the space age.
NASA has greatly advanced satellite technology since the first U.S. earth satellite, Explorer I, was launched from Cape Canaveral in 1959. The 1965 satellite, Early Bird, had the capacity to provide a two-way television link between the U.S. and Europe. Now, satellites provide us with phone and computer communication, radio and television broadcast, accurate mapping, weather information, and so much more.
NASA’s Mercury Program made rapid progress in meeting its second goal by sending its first manned missions into space in its first year, 1961. By the summer of 1969, Americans walked on the moon.
On June 24, 1983, exactly 22 years after Kennedy assigned Johnson to oversee the satellite program, the first American woman, Sally Ride, traveled into space aboard the space shuttle Challenger. Perhaps, someday, space travel will become a common form of transportation for many Americans.
Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt was known for his endless energy. Buffalo Bill called him “a cyclone” and Mark Twain called him “an earthquake.” As a young man he spent two years as a cowboy on his ranch in the Dakota Territory. When Spain and the U.S. went to war in 1898, he organized a Volunteer Cavalry (an army unit on horseback), which was called “the Rough Riders.”
Roosevelt came back from the Spanish-American War as a national hero. He liked to say, “We had a ‘bully’ fight.” “Bully” was a slang word at the time that meant “first-rate” or “splendid.” Another phrase he liked to use when facing a problem was “never around, always through.”
Roosevelt was a very determined president. During his term, he forced coal mine owners to negotiate with striking miners, pushed through laws to conserve land and won the Nobel Peace Prize for helping to end a war between Japan and Russia in 1905.
Roosevelt’s love of nature and wildlife inspired him to help conserve land and create national parks. While he was president, he created 51 national parks, four big-game refuges, and the first national game reserve. He also added 43 million acres of national forest. When Roosevelt believed in something he worked hard to promote it. He believed that the only thing worth doing in life was hard work for a worthy cause.
The Nuremberg Trials Russian documentary is a one hour production of the Nuremberg trials by director C. Svilov and gives a very graphic and complete portrayal of the trials and the evidence presented agains the accused. It includes information on many notorious Germans including Goebels, Goring and Himmler. This production is presented in English and is part of the Nuremberg Trials DVD pictured to the right.
Would you rather eat delicious, creamy ice cream from a bowl or a cone? Over time, several inventors around the world developed ideas of filling pastry cones with ice cream, and versions of the ice cream cone were invented. The walk-away cone made its debut World’s Fair debut in St. Louis in 1904. Of course, before the cone, someone had to invent ice cream.
The origins of ice cream go way back to the 4th century B.C. when the Roman emperor Nero ordered ice to be brought from the mountains and combined it with fruit toppings. In the 13th century, Marco Polo learned of the Chinese method of creating ice and milk mixtures and brought it back to Europe. Over time, people created recipes for ices, sherbets, and milk ices. It became a fashionable treat in Italy and France, and once imported to the United States, ice cream was served by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Dolley Madison. Jefferson’s favorite flavor was vanilla.
Whatever flavor ice cream you like best, you can make it by mixing cream, sugar, and flavorings (like chocolate or strawberry) and then carefully lowering the mixture’s temperature until it sets. The discovery of using salt to control the temperature of the ingredients, along with the invention of the wooden bucket freezer with rotary paddles, were major breakthroughs in the creation of ice cream as we know it. A Baltimore company was the first to sell it to stores in 1851. Finally, with the introduction of refrigerator-freezers came the ice cream shop, which has become a symbol of American culture.
