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Biography
Rudolph Koenig
Karl Rudolph Koenig (26 November 1832 – 2 October 1901) was born in Königsberg of Prussia. Koenig was a businessman, instrument maker, and Germany physicist, chiefly concerned with acoustic phenomena. He was best known for designing and building acoustical instruments such as the tuning fork and sound analyser. Karl Rudolph Koening was born on 26 November 1832, a descendant of a prominent
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  • 23 Nov 2022
Topic Review
January 1938 Geomagnetic Storm
Infobox storm The 25–26 January 1938 geomagnetic storm (also titled the Fátima Storm) was a massive solar storm which occurred 16–26 January with peak activity on 22, 25, and 26 January and was part of the 17th solar cycle. The electrification of Europe and North America was still in its infancy, therefore the light storm could be seen brilliantly. The intensely bright arches of crimson light with shifting spectrum of green, blue-white, and red radiated from a brilliant Auroral Crown near the Zenith instead of appearing as usual in parallel lines. This Aurora is believed by many people, especially those of the Catholic faith, to be related to the Fátima Prophecies (explained below). On January 25–26th, 1938, the sky was lit up with an Aurora Borealis light storm, seen all across the world. The storm was identical to other storm induced, low-latitude aurora borealis. The great Aurora that was witnessed across Europe, the Americas, and Oceania had not been seen/documented in Europe since 1709, and in the Americas since 1888. The storm was remarkable primarily because of how far and wide it was observed, and for the brightness of its green strip lights and red glow, which led many to believe the cause was a fire. Reports collected at the time show that the Aurora was witnessed in the far north of Canada, and spread as far south as Southern California and on Bermuda in the North Atlantic off of the Carolinas. In Europe, the aurora was seen in Northern Scotland, East Austria, in southern Sicily, Gibraltar, and Portugal. This magnificent display of lights was experienced across the world, as reported in different news archives. The lights sent some into panic, as many were awestruck, astonished by the rarity of the experience. Canada experienced the most vivid auroral displays on the nights of January 24–26. In the Netherlands people were awaiting the imminent birth of Princess Juliana's baby Princess Beatrix who was eventually born on 31 January 1938: the Dutch considered the aurora as a lucky omen. In Salzburg, Austria, some residents called on the fire department as they believed something was on fire. Alarm bells were rung into a frenzy that night and the fire departments were constantly sounding new alarms trying to calm the citizens. The loud multitude of ringing further caused panic, causing some residents to flee to more rural areas. The same fright was seen in London where many also believed whole streets were on fire, even the guards of Windsor Castle summoned the fire brigade to put out the said "fire". In Switzerland, the snow-covered peaks of the Swiss Alps were glowing bright and reflecting some of the Auroral rays causing a reflective disco effect. In Descanso, San Diego, the National Forest Service was alerted on the night of January 22nd to respond to a "great fire in the backcountry"; after they checked out the back roads they discovered it was the crimson Aurora Borealis in the northern sky, which had not been seen in that region since February 1888. In Bermuda, many people believed that a massive freight ship was on fire at sea. Steamship captains were calling the wireless stations to learn if there were any S.O.S calls and if they could help. In Scotland, religious individuals living in the lowlands believed the Aurora to be an ill-omen for Scotland. The electrical side effects of the light storm were limited because, at that time, electricity had not been advanced to our modern technological standards. Short-wave radio transmissions were shut down for almost 12 hours in Canada. In England, the signaling equipment line on the Manchester-Sheffield express trains was inoperable due to electrical disturbances. These coal trains were halted in their movement and waited at these junctions for safety reasons. Teletype systems at the New York Western Union offices began to spew out garbage data, suffering electrical shortages.  
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  • 25 Mar 2024
Biography
Rick Santorum
Richard John Santorum (born May 10, 1958) is an American politician, attorney, and political commentator. A member of the Republican Party, he served as a United States senator from Pennsylvania from 1995 to 2007 and was the Senate's third-ranking Republican from 2001 to 2007. Santorum ran for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, finishing second to Mitt Romney. In January 2017, he becam
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  • 24 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Nebra Sky Disk
The Nebra sky disk is a bronze disk of around 30 centimetres (11 3⁄4 in) diameter and a weight of 2.2 kilograms (4.9 lb), having a blue-green patina and inlaid with gold symbols. These symbols are interpreted generally as the Sun or full moon, a lunar crescent, and stars (including a cluster of seven stars interpreted as the Pleiades). Two golden arcs along the sides, interpreted to mark the angle between the solstices, were added later. A final addition was another arc at the bottom surrounded with multiple strokes (of uncertain meaning, variously interpreted as a solar barge with numerous oars, the Milky Way, or a rainbow). The disk has been attributed to a site in present-day Germany near Nebra, Saxony-Anhalt, and was originally dated by archaeologists to c. 1600 BCE. Researchers initially suggested the disk is an artifact of the Bronze Age Unetice culture, although a later dating to the Iron Age has been proposed as well. If its Bronze Age dating is accurate, the Nebra sky disk features the oldest concrete depiction of the cosmos yet known from anywhere in the world. In June 2013 it was included in the UNESCO Memory of the World Register and termed "one of the most important archaeological finds of the twentieth century."
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  • 23 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Democratic Deficit in the European Union
The notion of a democratic deficit within the European Union (EU) is the idea that the governance of the EU lacks democratic legitimacy. This led in part to an elected European Parliament being created in 1979 and given the power to approve or reject EU legislation. Since then, usage of the term has broadened to describe newer issues facing the European Union. However voter turnout has fallen consecutively at the seven elections since the first election in 1979 and voter turnout in the 2014 election stood at 42.54% of all European voters. This is the lowest of any national election in the 28 countries of the European Union where turnout at national elections averages 68% across the EU. Opinions differ as to whether the EU has a democratic deficit or how it should be remedied if it exists. Pro-Europeans (i.e. those in favour of the EU) argue that the European Union should reform its institutions to make them more accountable, while Eurosceptics argue that the EU should reduce its powers and often campaign for withdrawal from the EU.
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  • 23 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Paraguayan Civil War (1922)
The Paraguayan Civil War (1922), took place between 27 May 1922 and 10 July 1923, within the borders of Paraguay. It started when supporters of candidate Adolfo Chirife attempted to forcefully restore the implementation of presidential elections canceled by President Eusebio Ayala. Chirife represented the so-called Constitutionalist or Schaererist side ideologically supporting liberal politician Eduardo Schaerer, while troops under Ayala were named Loyalists or Gondrists ideologically pledging allegiance to former President Manuel Gondra. The conflict concluded when Gondrist forces defeated the remnants of the Schaererist army in Asunción.
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  • 23 Nov 2022
Topic Review
IBM POWER Microprocessors
IBM has a series of high performance microprocessors called POWER followed by a number designating generation, i.e. POWER1, POWER2, POWER3 and so forth up to the latest POWER9. These processors have been used by IBM in their RS/6000, AS/400, pSeries, iSeries, System p, System i and Power Systems line of servers and supercomputers. They have also been used in data storage devices by IBM and by other server manufacturers like Bull and Hitachi. The name "POWER" was originally presented as an acronym for "Performance Optimization With Enhanced RISC". The POWERn family of processors were developed in the late 1980s and are still in active development nearly 30 years later. In the beginning, they utilized the POWER instruction set architecture (ISA), but that evolved into PowerPC in later generations and then to Power Architecture, so modern POWER processors do not use the POWER ISA, they use the Power ISA.
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  • 23 Nov 2022
Biography
François Truffaut
François Roland Truffaut (French: [fʁɑ̃.swa ʁɔ.lɑ̃ tʁyfo]; 6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was a French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave.[1] In a film career lasting over a quarter of a century, he remains an icon of the French film industry, having worked on over 25 films. Truffaut's
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  • 23 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Excommunication of Catholic Politicians Who Support Abortion
Because the Catholic Church opposes abortion as a matter of doctrine, some Catholic bishops have refused or threatened to refuse communion, or threatened to declare excommunication upon Catholic politicians who support abortion. In some cases, officials have stated that ministers should refuse communion to such politicians per canon 915 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law; elsewhere, that the politicians should, on their own, refrain from receiving communion ad normam canon 916; and in other cases, excommunication has been suggested.
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  • 23 Nov 2022
Topic Review
Behavioral Neuroscience
Behavioral neuroscience, also known as biological psychology, biopsychology, or psychobiology, is the application of the principles of biology to the study of physiological, genetic, and developmental mechanisms of behavior in humans and other animals.
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  • 23 Nov 2022
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