The "Did you know" thread.....

[Greenman]

Potholes originate from when the potters of soon-to-come-into-being Stoke-on-Trent(six villages combined into one town later) around the 17th century used dig up the rich clay needed to make butter pots. The mess they left were holes or deep gouges in the ground. Nowadays it refers to any hole or gap in a road usuallly caused by adverse weather conditions over a period of time OR made when workmen dig up the road for gas, water or other pipes to be maintained. In the old days if you were caught you received a fine or in extreme cases a prison sentence.

[Old Jud]

Originally Posted by theequestrian

Bullet-Proof vests aren't always

Ain't that the truth. Hollywood gives the impression to the more gullible that body amour gives you full protection.........BOLLOCKS.

Amour may prevent projectile penetration, but it does not stop the kinetic energy from the round/s causing broken bones, severe bruising, and maybe serious internal injuries.

Yes kiddies it fucking hurts (I have been on the receiving end ).
Be safe out there, screw Hollywood.

[Schwenck]

Originally Posted by rosestone

George Boole (1815 – 1864) was an English mathematician. Although born the son of a shoemaker, he taught himself mathematics, and eventually devised a system of logic that came to be known as Boolean algebra, and which is the foundation of all microchips and digital technology, and was pivotal in ushering in the information age. All computer programming languages use Boolean variables as a datatype.

Great post - George Boole isn't known well enough nor does he get the recognition he deserved.

Just to be clear, Boolean Algebra is a perfectly rigourous algebra in it's own right, and was very useful for logic operations. Only when Computers were invented 100 years later that it was realised that it was perfect for working with computers, especially designing hardware and some software. That belated recognition of a mathematical discovery often happens.

[Schwenck]

Originally Posted by xyzde69

It seems that the first steps of digital applications were punctuated by tragedies.

You could probably include Alan Turing.
Turing established the theoretical basis for a 'Universal Machine' in the 1930's and was the first to produce a design for a stored program computer in the mid 1940's: the ACE. Sadly, as it was a government project, it went nowhere, while others got on and built stored program computers, especially at Manchester and Cambridge. Eventually, Turing gave up the Government ACE project (which eventually produced a cut-down version of Turing's design in the early 1950's) and went to Manchester, doing interesting work in programming, AI and biology. Sadly, he was also convicted of homosexual activities in the early 1950's and given hormone 'treatment'. He seems to have killed himself in June 1954, though he managed to make the circumstances quite confused, and many, including his mother, think his death was accidental. I think he killed himself: he'd lost his security clearance, he would got to jail if he got caught with a man again, and he was getting old for a mathematician. Maths is a young mans game.

There is a brilliant biography of Turing by Andrew Hodges: 'The Enigma of Intelligence' - highly recommended. Turing did loads of other brilliant things apart from computers and breaking the Enigma code system.

I should point out that after the war, there were lots of people who had seen the potential of a stored program computer, both in the UK and US. Manchester won the race to build the first working stored program computer, though Cambridge came up with a more effective one shortly after. I must also mention Tommy Flowers, who built near computers for Bletchley Park and who never gets the recognition he deserves. The ACE, when finally completed to Turing's design in the 1950's, was the fastest computer in the world, at the time.

And what you may not have known: Turing was a very good long distance runner, and just missed out selection for the UK marathon team at the 1948 Olympics.

[les1917lie]

The song 1999 by Prince was widely predicted to be the number 1 single around the world on December 31 1999.

With the line " So tonight I'm gonna party like it's nineteen ninety-nine" it seemed almost inevitable.

It never happened.........

[Estreeter]

Originally Posted by les1917lie

The song 1999 by Prince was widely predicted to be the number 1 single around the world on December 31 1999.

With the line " So tonight I'm gonna party like it's nineteen ninety-nine" it seemed almost inevitable.

It never happened.........

December 31st 1999 never happened

[risen]

Originally Posted by Schwenck

You could probably include Alan Turing

Somewhat different circumstances but Sir Frank Whittle - concurrent and separate creator of the turbojet with Hans Pabst Von Ohain - received very little recognition in his home country and had to move to the USA to continue his career. Proper recognition came only late. In recent times Coventry City Council created a fitting memorial in the Whittle Arches and statue. His childhood model flying activities are commemorated with a large plaque on Hearsall Common and his childhood home at 72 Newcombe Rd carries a blue plaque.

As far as I am aware the achievements of Dr. Ing. Von Ohain received little recognition in the aftermath of the Second World War.


The Whittle Arches and Statue



Hearsall Common Plaque

[DTravel]

Originally Posted by Estreeter

December 31st 1999 never happened

Nope. The Y2K bug hit a day early and ended the world but no one noticed because they weren't expecting it then.

[MaxJoker]

Duelling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors

[MaxJoker]

A hundred percent of non-smokers , die