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Historic Beach Images

September 1st 2010 02:31

It wasn't so long ago that bikinis were nowhere to be seen and bathing during the day was illegal in some areas.
Below are images displaying how your local beach may have appeared 100 years ago.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: history

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The United States Declaration of Independence is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, which announced that the thirteen American colonies then at war with Great Britain were now independent states, and thus no longer a part of the British Empire. Written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, the Declaration is a formal explanation of why Congress had voted on July 2 to declare independence from Great Britain, more than a year after the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War. The birthday of the United States of America—Independence Day—is celebrated on July 4, the day the wording of the Declaration was approved by Congress.

Click on the image below to view a high resolution image of The United States Declaration of Independence.

The full unaltered text reads as follows:

The Unanimous Declaration
of the Thirteen United States of America

When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. --Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

New Hampshire: Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia: Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

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Posted By: Ian - Category: history

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Women Inventors Throughout History

June 2nd 2010 02:51

The first invention patent to be allocated to a woman in the USA was in 1809. Patents to females were still very rare until 1840. Today that figure has grown substantially, and women account for around 20% of all new invention patents.
As that figure continues to grow, let's take a look as some of the most well known female inventors of the last 200 years.

Margaret Knight

Margaret Knight, remembered as "the female Edison," received some 26 patents for such diverse items as a window frame and sash, machinery for cutting shoe soles, and improvements to internal combustion engines. Her most significant patent was for machinery that would automatically fold and glue paper bags to create square bottoms, an invention which dramatically changed shopping habits. Workmen reportedly refused her advice when first installing the equipment because, "after all, what does a woman know about machines?"

Bette Graham

Bette Graham hoped to be an artist, but circumstances led her into secretarial work. Bette, however, was not an accurate typist. Fortunately, she recalled that artists could correct their mistakes by painting over them with gesso, so she invented a quick drying "paint" to cover her typing mistakes. Bette first prepared the secret formula in her kitchen using a hand mixer, and her young son helped to pour the mixture into little bottles. In 1980, the Liquid Paper Corporation, which Bette Graham built, was sold for over $47 million.

Ann Moore

When Ann Moore, a Peace Corps volunteer, saw how African women carried babies on their backs by tying cloth around their bodies, leaving both hands free for other work. When she returned to the United States, she designed a carrier which became the popular SNUGLI. Recently Ms. Moore received another patent for a carrier to conveniently transport oxygen cylinders. People needing oxygen for breathing assistance, who were previously confined to stationary oxygen tanks, can now move about more freely. Her company now sells several versions including lightweight backpacks, handbags, shoulder bags, and wheelchair/walker carriers for portable cylinders.

barbie doll and prosthetic breast inventors

Ruth Handler

After fighting breast cancer and undergoing a mastectomy in 1970, Ruth Handler, one of the creators of the Barbie Doll, surveyed the market for a suitable prosthetic breast. Disappointed in the options available, she set about designing a replacement breast that was more similar to a natural one. In 1975, Handler received a patent for Nearly Me, a prosthesis made of material close in weight and density to natural breasts.

Columbian Exposition

Chicago's Columbian Exposition in 1893 also included a Woman's Building. A unique safety elevator invented by multi-patent holder Harriet Tracy and a device for lifting and transporting invalids invented by Sarah Sands were among the many items featured at this event.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: history

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Insects in Amber

May 3rd 2010 23:39

Amber is fossilised tree resin (not sap), which is appreciated for its colour and natural beauty. Good quality amber is used for the manufacture of ornamental objects and jewellery.

The discovery

Amber is formed when tree resin is subjected to high pressures and temperatures over time.

Because it originates as a soft, sticky tree resin, amber sometimes includes animal and plant material as inclusions. As made famous in the movie Jurassic Park, insects found in amber can be tens of millions years old.

In Ethiopia an exciting discovery has recently been made. The first amber in Africa containing insects has been uncovered. The fossilised insects within it are in excellent condition and date back up to 95 million years ago when these types of insects were first appearing on Earth.

To read more on the find, visit these articles at National Geographic and Discovery.com.

Ancient Thunder Fly

Although the Cretaceous insects, ranging in size from .02 to .2 inches long, lived when dinosaurs were still around, at first glance they look like something tiny you'd find crawling or flying in your kitchen today.

"On a first approach, the fossil insects and spiders found in this amber are strikingly similar in aspect to their extant relatives," co-author Vincent Perrichot told Discovery News.

"But after a thorough examination, they can be distinguished based on some morphological differences," added Perrichot, a post-doctoral associate in palaeontology at the University of Kansas Palaeontological Institute and a researcher at the University of Rennes.

"Mostly these fossils show a combination of characters, primitive or advanced, which still exist today, but are found only in separate species."

Parasite Wasp

This tiny wasp, is one of the earliest known parasitic species—known for laying their eggs in the grubs of other insects, such as moths and beetles, which then get eaten from the inside out when the young wasps hatch.

Immaculate Wasp

Measuring just 0.4 millimeter long, this immaculately preserved wasp is among the variety of amber-encased bugs from the dino-era African forest. Other finds from the site in what is now Ethiopia include a rare web-weaving fossil spider (see below) and one of the world's oldest ants.

Second oldest spider specimen ever discovered.

*This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the WIkipedia page for Amber.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: history

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Historic Los Angeles

April 21st 2010 01:56

Los Angeles, (Spanish for "The Angels") is the second largest city in the United States.

Los Angeles was founded in 1781 by Spanish governor Felipe de Neve. It became a part of Mexico in 1821, following its independence from Spain. In 1848, at the end of the Mexican-American War, Los Angeles and the rest of California were purchased as part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, thereby becoming part of the United States.

Often known by its initials, "L.A.", and nicknamed the "City of Angels", Los Angeles is a world centre of business, international trade, entertainment, culture, media, fashion, science, technology, and education. As the home base of Hollywood, it is known as the "Entertainment Capital of the World".

The images below are from this article at Life.com which details the early landmarks and icons of Los Angeles.

The Temple of Shirley, and Others

The sound stage at 20th Century Fox, c. 1930. It was here that the child star Shirley Temple -- Hollywood's biggest box office draw for years on end during the 1930s -- as well as Will Rogers, Betty Grable, Henry Fonda, and other legends helped turn 20th Century Fox into one of the handful of studios of Hollywood's Golden Age (with Paramount, Columbia, and Warner Bros.) with enough staying power to last into the 21st century.

Los Angeles: Portrait of a City

Glendale Boulevard, 1927. The rapid expansion of contiguous suburbs spreading out around L.A. demanded a modern infrastructure. And that meant freeways. How charming that one can actually count the cars on the road in this picture.

Well-Oiled

An oil derrick stands in the middle of La Cienga Boulevard, 1938. At one time, there were more than 200 oil companies, large and small, and several thousand oil wells operating within the L.A. city limits.

Centre of the World

"Los Angeles is a large city-like area surrounding the Beverly Hills Hotel." — Fran Lebowitz

Back It Up

Moving day in the Southland, 1952. A posed picture for LIFE magazine illustrates the rapid suburbanization of Southern California in the early 1950s.

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Posted By: Ian - Category: history

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Ancient Historical Photographs

April 16th 2010 23:53

A photograph or photo is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of what the human eye would see. The word "photograph" was coined in 1839 by Sir John Herschel and is based on the Greek (phos) "light" and (graphe) "representation by means of lines" or "drawing", together meaning "drawing with light".

Here are some of the earliest photographs ever taken and their historical significance

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Posted By: Ian - Category: history

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The San Francisco Earthquake in Colour

February 1st 2010 01:23

The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 struck on Wednesday, April 18. It ruptured along the San Andreas Fault both northward and southward for a total of 296 miles (477 km). Shaking was felt from Oregon to Los Angeles, and inland as far as central Nevada. The earthquake and resulting fire are remembered as the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States. The death toll from the earthquake and resulting fire, estimated to be above 3,000, is the greatest loss of life from a natural disaster in California's history. The economic impact has been compared with the more recent Hurricane Katrina.

Frederick Eugene Ives was an early adopter of color photography and he took these images of San Francisco 6 months after the quake. These images are at street level at the Majestic Hotel

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Posted By: Ian - Category: history

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The Decade That Was

January 18th 2010 13:56

As the first decade of the new millennium slips us by, msnbc takes a look back at the decade in pictures. It's amazing what can happen in 10 short years. Below are a small number of the major events, read the full list and article here.

2000: Concorde in flames

A passenger in another plane snapped this photo of Air France Flight 4590 as the Concorde trailed flames during its takeoff from Paris on July 25. Moments later, the supersonic jet crashed, killing all 109 people on board and five more on the ground

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Posted By: Ian - Category: history

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Nostradamus

January 15th 2010 06:36

Nostradamus (14 December or 21 December 1503 – 2 July 1566), was a practicing physician, astronomer and astrologer who turned his hand to prophecy later in life.

Nostradamus wrote is prophecies in quatrains. Prophesising was punishable by death during the Spanish Inquisition, so he was forced to be cryptic to avoid persecution. Some say he predicted the French Revolution, the birth and rise to power of Hitler, the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the Great Fire of London (1666) and the September 11th terror attacks

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Posted By: Ian - Category: history

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