On this day in history.

[scifan57]

November 4, 1922;

Howard Carter uncovers what turned out to be the top step of the entrance to the tomb of Tutankhamen. Howard Carter - Wikipedia

Tutankhamun - Wikipedia

 

[giradman]

November 4, 1922;

Howard Carter uncovers what turned out to be the top step of the entrance to the tomb of Tutankhamen. Howard Carter - Wikipedia
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Tutankhamun - Wikipedia
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The number of King Tut exhibits that have traveled the world is amazing (starting in the early 1960s) - for those interested, check HERE. In the spring of 2009, we went to Atlanta to see the one circled below at the city's Civic Center - quite impressive as I recall (my pre-iPad Forums days and no pics to show, but a nice account HERE). Dave
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[giradman]

A repost from a year ago - an important discovery for humankind - Dave

Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen Discovers Xrays on this day in 1895!

Well, an important event for me - I trained as a radiologist (1972-75), was an Army radiologist (1975-77), the then an academic radiologist for 34 years (1977-2011) - the changes in medical imaging based not only on the xray (such as CT scanning), but on other newer technologies, such as ultrasound & MR imaging were remarkable throughout that nearly 40 year span .

Röntgen discovered the xray this day in 1895 - pic of him below and also the first 'human' xray of his wife's hand - when she saw her skeleton she exclaimed "I have seen my death!" For his discovery, Röntgen was awarded the first Nobel prize in Physics in 1901. Dave

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[giradman]

In 1917, Lenin's Bosheviks Topple Russian Government - Soviet Union is Born!

The Russian Revolution was a pair of events in the spring and fall of 1917 which dismantled the Tsarist aristocracy and led to the rise of the Soviet Union, the latter dated November 7-8 (also know as the October Revolution due to calendar differences at the time). Today would be the 100th anniversary but an article in my morning newspaper discussed the continuing recent reluctance to celebrate this date in Russia; for those interested, some more discussion in a recent Washington Post Article. More details of the November Revolution quoted below - Dave

On November 8, 1917, one day after an armed uprising led by his radical socialist Bolsheviks toppled the provisional Russian government, Vladimir Lenin rises before the newly formed All-Russian Congress of Soviets to call for an immediate armistice with the Central Powers in World War I. Lenin, in exile in Western Europe when the war broke out in 1914, managed to secure passage back to Petrograd (formerly St. Petersburg) in April 1917, after the first wave of Russia’s revolution in March overthrew the regime of Czar Nicholas II. In the months that followed, the Bolsheviks increased their influence, aided in their cause by Russia’s dismal economic situation and widespread frustration with the continuing war effort. In late June, the spectacular failure of an offensive sent the army into a tailspin, with millions of soldiers deserting the front and streaming home to join the socialist cause. (Source)

Over the next several months, Russia’s revolutionary fervor only increased. Lenin was hiding in Finland after an abortive workers’ uprising in July. He returned to Russia in late September, in time to push the Bolshevik Central Committee to organize an armed insurrection and seize power. The committee approved the plan in late October. On the night of November 6-7, under the direction of Leon Trotsky, an armed band of workers, soldiers and sailors stormed the Winter Palace, headquarters of the provisional government. The following morning, after a virtually bloodless victory, Trotsky announced that the government had fallen. Kerensky escaped and went into exile, while several other ministers were arrested later that day. (Source)

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[scifan57]

The communists may not have started the revolution but they certainly hijacked it. What the Russian people ended up with was certainly not what they wanted in the beginning.

 

[giradman]

The communists may not have started the revolution but they certainly hijacked it. What the Russian people ended up with was certainly not what they wanted in the beginning.

Tell me! My wife is a descendent of a Bolshevik commissar! Her maternal grandmother was Dr. Rita Finkler (née Shapiro), who immigrated to the United States just before to Russian Revolution (see first quote, much more in link); her aunt was Serafima Hopner a Bolshevik high party member who knew Lenin (see second quote & pic below) - unfortunately, my first trip to New Jersey to 'meet the family' was in the summer of 1969 - Rita had died the year before - believe we would have been good friends. Life certainly has a lot of surprises. Dave

Rita Sapiro Finkler (born Ricka Sapiro; November 1, 1888 – November 8, 1968) was a Ukrainian-American physician. She practiced pediatrics and gynecology in her early career, but is best known for her work as an endocrinologist. She established and directed the department of endocrinology at Newark Beth Israel Hospital in Newark, New Jersey.

Serafima Hopner (Russian: Серафима Ильинична Гопнер; 1880–1966) was a Bolshevik politician, a Hero of Socialist Labor (1960), and a Doctor of Historical Sciences (1934). Beginning in 1905, she was a member, and then a secretary of the Bolshevik party in Yekaterinoslav. In 1910-1917, she lived in emigration. From September 9 to October 23, 1918, she was the secretary of the Communist Party (Bolshevik) of Ukraine. In 1928-1938 she worked for the Comintern. Beginning in 1945, she was an employee of the Institute of Marxism-Leninism in Moscow.

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[giradman]

Thomas Edison Invents the Phonograph in 1877!

In 1877, Thomas Edison invented the cylindrical phonograph but ignored the device to work on the light bulb - in the meantime, others worked on sound production; one of the most important inventors was Emile Berliner, who ten years later invented the 'flat disc' record - following years of other inventions, modifications, and patents, a 30-year period of competition, law suits, and litigation finally 'ironed out' the record industry by the early 1920s w/ the 'flat disc' of Berliner being the winning format (the first FORMAT WAR?) - quotes below about Edison & Berliner.

At present, I am reading the book shown below about Gennett Records - recently purchased at the Indiana State Museum during a visit in Indianapolis w/ our son & DIL earlier this month - the company was located in Richmond, Indiana near the Ohio border (and now just over an hour's drive from the state's capital) - BUT, for those interested, there is a LOT of discussion on this early recording history w/ much detail on the cylinder vs. flat disc technologies and vertical vs. lateral recording techniques of the times. Amazingly, Edison's concept of a 'needle on a surface' lasted over a century - I bought my first CD player in 1984 (went 'cold turkey' on my vinyl record collection - sold my beautiful Denon turntable to my BIL and included my 'record' collection which was not that large at the time). Dave

The American inventor announces his invention of the phonograph, a way to record and play back sound. Edison stumbled on one of his great inventions–the phonograph–while working on a way to record telephone communication at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey. His work led him to experiment with a stylus on a tinfoil cylinder, which, to his surprise, played back the short song he had recorded, “MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB”. Public demonstrations of the phonograph made him world famous, and he was dubbed the “Wizard of Menlo Park.” (Source)

Edison set aside this invention in 1878 to work on the incandescent light bulb, and other inventors moved forward to improve on the phonograph. In 1887, Edison resumed work on the device, using the wax-cylinder technique developed by Charles Tainter. Although initially used as a dictating machine, the phonograph proved to be a popular tool for entertainment, and in 1906 Edison unveiled a series of musical and theatrical selections to the public through his National Phonograph Company. Continuing to improve on models and cylinders over the years, the Edison Disc Phonograph debuted in 1912 with the aim of competing in the popular record market. Edison’s discs offered superior sound quality but were not compatible with other popular disc players. Edison, who acquired an astounding 1,093 patents in his 84 years, died in 1931.(Source)

In 1886 Berliner began experimenting with methods of sound recording. He was granted his first patent for what he called the "Gramophone" in 1887. The patent described recording sound using horizontal modulation of a stylus as it traced a line on a rotating cylindrical surface coated with an unresisting opaque material such as lampblack, subsequently fixed with varnish and used to photoengrave a corresponding groove into the surface of a metal playback cylinder. In practice, Berliner opted for the disc format, which made the photoengraving step much less difficult and offered the prospect of making multiple copies of the result by some simpler process such as electrotyping, molding or stamping. In 1888 Berliner was using a more direct recording method, in which the stylus traced a line through a very thin coating of wax on a zinc disc, which was then etched in acid to convert the line of bared metal into a playable groove. (Source)

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[scifan57]

The biggest disadvantage of the Edison cylinder records was that they couldn't be formed on a press like flat records but had to be individually recorded on duplicating machines that duplicated many cylinders at once. This limited the speed of production. Later on, methods of producing molds for cylinder record duplication were developed. The Cylinder Archive - Cylinder Guide: Black Wax Cylinders

The groove on the Edison flat records had straight sides; the sound being recorded on the undulating bottom of the groove, with the needle moving up and down to reproduce the recorded sound. The flat disc records using the Berliner system had the sound recorded in the undulating sides of the groove, with the needle moving from side to side to reproduce the recorded sound. this is why the two formats are not compatible despite looking identical at first glance.

 

[giradman]

The biggest disadvantage of the Edison cylinder records was that they couldn't be formed on a press like flat records but had to be individually recorded on duplicating machines that duplicated many cylinders at once. This limited the speed of production.

The groove on the Edison flat records had straight sides; the sound being recorded on the undulating bottom of the groove, with the needle moving up and down to reproduce the recorded sound. The flat disc records using the Berliner system had the sound recorded in the undulating sides of the groove, with the needle moving from side to side to reproduce the recorded sound. this is why the two formats are not compatible despite looking identical at first glance.

Nice summary - the processes, variations, and patent infringement litigation are well discussed in the book referenced in my post. The two competing methods, as you mention above, are known as Vertical vs. Lateral Cut Recording, and certain 'phonograph machines' during this 'format war' could read either recordings depending on needle placement.

The main patent court litigation which was drawn out was the Victor Talking Machine vs. Starr Piano, which Starr Piano (i.e. Gennett Records) eventually won allowing them (and other record producers) to use the 'Lateral Cut Recording Technique' w/o worrying about patent infringement; and leading to the explosion of record companies in the 1920s beyond the then two giants, Victor & Columbia. Dave

 

[giradman]

John Kennedy Assassinated Today in 1963 - see last year's discussion HERE!

Blackbeard the Pirate Killed Off Ocracoke Island by Lt. Robert Maynard in 1718!

Blackbeard was a notorious pirate who terrorized the Carolina coast in his short 'career' - see quotes below for details. For a brief time, he lived in Bath, NC (the first colonial capital of the state) - he scuttled his ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge near the Beaufort inlet and an undersea archeological recovery is ongoing - artifacts are exhibited in the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort (for more details and pics - see my Carolina Coastal travelogue HERE starting w/ post #50).

In November of 1718, Governor Spotswood of Virginia sent Lt. Robert Maynard to track down Blackbeard - a fierce battle ensured off the coast of Ocracoke Island (a topic of my Outer Banks travelogue) on November 22 and the infamous pirate was killed (w/ a LOT of effort from musket balls and sword slashes!) - he was beheaded and his head hung from the front mast of Maynard's ship. Dave

Edward Teach or Edward Thatch (c. 1680 – 22 November 1718), better known as Blackbeard, was an English pirate who operated around the West Indies and the eastern coast of Britain's North American colonies. Little is known about his early life, but he may have been a sailor on privateer ships during Queen Anne's War before settling on the Bahamian island of New Providence, a base for Captain Benjamin Hornigold, whose crew Teach joined around 1716. Hornigold placed him in command of a sloop that he had captured, and the two engaged in numerous acts of piracy. Their numbers were boosted by the addition to their fleet of two more ships, one of which was commanded by Stede Bonnet; but Hornigold retired from piracy towards the end of 1717, taking two vessels with him. (Source)

Teach captured a French merchant vessel, renamed her Queen Anne's Revenge, and equipped her with 40 guns. He became a renowned pirate, his nickname derived from his thick black beard and fearsome appearance; he was reported to have tied lit fuses (slow matches) under his hat to frighten his enemies. He formed an alliance of pirates and blockaded the port of Charles Town, South Carolina, ransoming the port's inhabitants. He then ran Queen Anne's Revenge aground on a sandbar near Beaufort, North Carolina. He parted company with Bonnet and settled in Bath Town, where he accepted a royal pardon. But he was soon back at sea, where he attracted the attention of Alexander Spotswood, the Governor of Virginia. Spotswood arranged for a party of soldiers and sailors to capture the pirate, which they did on 22 November 1718 following a ferocious battle. Teach and several of his crew were killed by a small force of sailors led by Lieutenant Robert Maynard. (Source)

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[scifan57]

John Kennedy Assassinated Today in 1963 - see last year's discussion HERE!

Blackbeard the Pirate Killed Off Ocracoke Island by Lt. Robert Maynard in 1718!

Blackbeard was a notorious pirate who terrorized the Carolina coast in his short 'career' - see quotes below for details. For a brief time, he lived in Bath, NC (the first colonial capital of the state) - he scuttled his ship, the Queen Anne's Revenge near the Beaufort inlet and an undersea archeological recovery is ongoing - artifacts are exhibited in the NC Maritime Museum in Beaufort (for more details and pics - see my Carolina Coastal travelogue HERE starting w/ post #50).

In November of 1718, Governor Spotswood of Virginia sent Lt. Robert Maynard to track down Blackbeard - a fierce battle ensured off the coast of Ocracoke Island (a topic of my Outer Banks travelogue) on November 22 and the infamous pirate was killed (w/ a LOT of effort from musket balls and sword slashes!) - he was beheaded and his head hung from the front mast of Maynard's ship. Dave




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It's hard to believe that almost 300 years have passed since the death of Blackbeard and the heyday of piracy in the Americas and Caribbean.

 

[giradman]

It's hard to believe that almost 300 years have passed since the death of Blackbeard and the heyday of piracy in the Americas and Caribbean.

BOY - did not realize that next year would indeed be the 300 year anniversary of Blackbeard's death - BUT, the memory of piracy and history in general is quite alive where I live and along the Carolina coast and adjacent Virginia & Georgia - and the history lives on in a variety of ways, such as restaurants and bars - just a few of many examples - Anne Bonney's on the Wilmington Riverwalk (where we waited to take our Cape Fear River cruise) and Blackbeard's in Beaufort, appropriately - impossible to escape 'pirate lore' while visiting these historic coastal areas (and a lot of fun!). Dave
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[scifan57]

BOY - did not realize that next year would indeed be the 300 year anniversary of Blackbeard's death - BUT, the memory of piracy and history in general is quite alive where I live and along the Carolina coast and adjacent Virginia & Georgia - and the history lives on in a variety of ways, such as restaurants and bars - just a few of many examples - Anne Bonney's on the Wilmington Riverwalk (where we waited to take our Cape Fear River cruise) and Blackbeard's in Beaufort, appropriately - impossible to escape 'pirate lore' while visiting these historic coastal areas (and a lot of fun!). Dave
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I'd say that the Blackbeard name earns far more money today than Blackbeard the pirate ever earned while he was alive.

 

[Thomas1977]

Today is Thanksgiving.

 

[giradman]

I'd say that the Blackbeard name earns far more money today than Blackbeard the pirate ever earned while he was alive.

LOL! You may be right - still a lot of 'pirate interest' around these days, and if the movies related to piratical activity are included over the many decades of film making, then quite a haul!

But I've always been curious at 'how much' these treasures were worth; of course, the Spanish in their 'hey day' were likely the main contributors to these treasure acquisitions - found the link given in the quote below which 'attempts' to estimate a pirate's worth in today's US dollars - Blackbeard is 10th on their list at 12.5 million bucks - not bad; Black Sam (Samuel Bellamy) comes in at No. 1 w/ $120 million (I don't know much about this guy?); now that list includes a number of individuals who might not be thought of as traditional pirates (vs. privateers, a subtle distinction, or even in government employment at the time) - bottom line is that a 'pirate's life' could indeed be lucrative, but likely limited to the top ones, I suspect. Dave

Most of these piratical seamen didn’t make much. It took a large crew to raid another ship and emerge victorious, and the costs of maintaining an oceanic fighting force in the era before GPS and Whole Foods was no cheap task. But every once in a while, it worked, and a particular pirate would make almost unfathomable amounts of money. These are their stories, collected by Forbes and researched in detail. Their booty has been converted into modern US dollars by way of comparison, but don’t be fooled: $1 million then meant still more than it means today, as there were comparatively few that reached such echelons. (Source)