History-Science-Interesting


Curta Calculator
Curta
Curta Org

The Curta mechanical calculator is an incredible feat of mechanical engineering. Developed in the 1940s, these devices are roughly the size and shape of a salt shaker. When a series of mechanical sliders and a carriage set correctly, it can makes calculations with the turn (or turns) of a handle. The results can then be reset using a lever, making for a very interesting piece of mechanical hardware.

Though it’s amazing what this device can do, its origin story is perhaps even more incredible. Its creator, Curt Herzstark, was taken to the Buchenwald concentration camp in 1943, where rumors spread that he was working on a new calculating machine. Strangely enough, development of this device was encouraged as something that could be presented to Adolf Hitler upon Germany’s predicted victory in World War II. As this prediction didn’t come to fruition, Herzstark was able to make working prototypes of this invention after the war, and then put them into production under his own name. This continued until they were phased out in the 1970s with the invention of the electronic calculator.

Irma is among the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record based on wind speed.

The major hurricane could notch more historic moments in the days ahead.

Hurricane Irma is one of the most powerful hurricanes to roam the Atlantic basin in more than a decade, and it could hit more historical benchmarks in the days ahead.

Here’s a rundown of Irma’s notable extremes so far.

Strongest Winds in Almost 12 Years

Irma’s maximum sustained winds have so far maxed out at 185 mph. Those winds are well above the 157 mph Category 5 threshold and are the highest registered in any Atlantic hurricane since 2005.

Hurricane Wilma on Oct. 19, 2005, was the last hurricane to have maximum sustained winds reach 185 mph.

One of Four Hurricanes With 185+ MPH Winds

The 185 mph winds also place Irma in the upper echelon of Atlantic hurricanes based on wind speed.

Only three other hurricanes have had winds of 185 winds or greater, including Wilma (2005), Gilbert (1988) and Allen (1980), according to Dr. Phil Klotzbach, a tropical scientist at Colorado State University.

Allen had the strongest winds of those four hurricanes, maxing out at 190 mph in early August 1980.

Longest Duration of 185 Winds Anywhere in the World

Irma’s winds were at 185 mph for 33 hours as of late Wednesday evening. That’s the longest a tropical cyclone has maintained winds at that level or stronger anywhere in the world, according to Klotzbach.

The previous record was Super Typhoon Haiyan (2013) in the northwest Pacific which held winds of that intensity for 24 hours.

Most Powerful Hurricane to Strike the Leeward Islands

Irma’s maximum winds were 185 mph as it raked through the Leeward Islands, including Barbuda, Anguilla and Saint Martin.

Klotzbach says that Irma’s winds are the strongest for any hurricane on record to wallop the Leeward Islands region, beating out the Okeechobee Hurricane (1928) and David (1979). Both of those hurricanes had 160 mph winds at their peak in the Leeward Islands.

Lowest Central Pressure in a Decade

The central pressure observed in Irma dropped to 914 millibars early Wednesday morning, the lowest pressure for any Atlantic hurricane since Dean in August 2007, according to Klotzbach.

Irma’s pressure, however, does not rank among the top 10 lowest in the historical record for the Atlantic.

In general, a lower pressure means a more intense hurricane in terms of its winds and overall destructive potential. Conversely, a higher pressure indicates a weaker system when it comes to wind speeds.

Irma Ranks Among Longest-Lived Category 5 Hurricanes

Hurricane Irma has been a Category 5 for more than 48 hours as of Thursday early morning.

Hurricane Allen (1980) and Hurricane Ivan (2004) hold the record for the longest duration as a Category 5 in the Atlantic at three days total.

Irma now ranks third overall since the reconnaissance era began in 1944 with Category 5 strength lasting two days, according to data from NOAA’s Hurricane Research Division.


Atlantic Category 5 Hurricanes 1924-2015 (Red Indicates Category 5 Intensity)

2017 Could Be the First Year With Two U.S. Category 4 Landfalls

Irma has a chance to be the second Category 4 hurricane landfall in the U.S. this season.

The first Category 4 landfall was Hurricane Harvey which roared ashore near Rockport, Texas, with 130 mph winds on Aug. 25.

In historical records dating to 1851, the U.S. has never been struck by two Category 4 or stronger hurricanes in the same year, according to Bob Henson, a meteorologist with wunderground.com.


History of Hurricane Harvey.
The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

A few months after the first detection of gravitational waves from the black hole merger event GW150914, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) has made another observation of gravitational waves from the collision and merger of a pair of black holes. This signal, called GW151226, arrived at the LIGO detectors on 26 December 2015 at 03:38:53 UTC.

Source: LIGO Scientific Collaboration – The science of LSC research

On Friday April 2nd a Alpha Phi Omega Brother, Noel Berger was the Vet they took all the rescued animals to making sure they were OK.

State of Emergency
The team reunites displaced pets with families in South Carolina after rain results in record flooding. Will a pregnant dog make it home in time?
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The squad rushes the pregnant chihuahua (who they have named Brooke, in honor of the flood) to vet Dr. Noel Berger for an assessment, who finds the mom-to-be in good health. Litters of chihuahuas tend to vary from a single puppy to up to 8, and Brooke looks like she’s expecting 3 puppies.

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MOM-TO-BE
The team also locates a foster home for Brooke, so she can give birth to her puppies in the comfort of a home. Just two weeks after local resident Heather took her in, Brooke gave birth to a litter of beautiful puppies.

Welp. New Horizons decided to put on a little 4th of July drama for the mission’s fans. It’s currently in safe mode, and it will likely be a day or two before it recovers and returns to science, but it remains on course for the July 14 flyby. Here’s the mission update in its entirety.

Source: New Horizons enters safe mode 10 days before Pluto flyby [UPDATED] | The Planetary Society

A Falcon 9 rocket booster — under the power of a single Merlin 1D engine — descends toward a specially-outfitted ocean landing platform off Florida’s East Coast on Tuesday in a brief video clip released by SpaceX.

The rocket tipped over moments after touching down on the barge, which was parked in the Atlantic Ocean 200 miles east of Jacksonville, Florida. SpaceX says the first stage did not survive the landing.

SpaceX is experimenting with recovering Falcon 9 rocket stages in hopes of reusing the boosters on future missions, an achievement officials say would reduce the cost of space launches.

The Falcon 9 rocket’s upper stage continued into orbit with an unmanned Dragon supply ship hauling up cargo for the crew on the International Space Station.

via Video: SpaceX rocket booster crash lands on barge | Spaceflight Now.

Few Facts:

– The first attempted at canning actually started in 1909.  The first attempts were unsuccessful due to pressure and sealing issues.

– Prohibition in the United States (aka The Dark Times) prevented American Can from attempting again until repeal – 1933

– As crazy as it sounds now, the sale of beer in cans wasn’t easy.  Adoption took time.

– Krueger’s canned beer became popular very fast once the idea took off.

– Schlitz, Pabst, Stroh’s & Anheuser-Busch lost market share due to Gottfried Krueger’s cans – so started canning also.

– According to the Brewer’s Association, canned beer accounts for more than 50% of beer sold in the states.

via First Canned Beer Sold Jan 24, 1935 – Beer Street Journal.

A Delta IV Heavy rocket roars to life at Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle is carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST. Image Credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O'Connell

A Delta IV Heavy rocket roars to life at Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch vehicle is carrying NASA’s Orion spacecraft on an unpiloted flight test to Earth orbit. Liftoff was at 7:05 a.m. EST.
Image Credit: NASA/Sandra Joseph and Kevin O’Connell

A spacecraft built for humans left the domain of low-Earth orbit Friday for the first time in 42 years when NASA’s first Orion soared 3,604 miles above Earth and returned safely hours later, having accomplished a flawless flight test as part of NASA’s journey to Mars.

"We as a species are meant to press humanity further into the solar system and this is a first step," said Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator for the Human Exploration and Operations Directorate. "What a tremendous team effort."

via Orion Performance Showcases Exploration Abilities | NASA.