Paris had the Eiffel Tower, the U.S. had… Well, there were some outlandish proposals, like a tower with cars attached to thick rubber bands, a forerunner of bungee jumping. Gustave Eiffel himself proposed an even bigger tower. The World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago was being planned without a central landmark. The architect in charge, Daniel
Earlier I had written about the dangerous chemical dihydrogen monoxide, which is actually a hoax to embarrass people about their ignorance of science — dihydrogen monoxide is the chemical name for water. (Do you remember from high school chemistry that di is two and mono is one? Thus two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom
I used to work for a publishing company, Tomart Corporation (www.tomart.com), that specialized in books and magazines on “contemporary collectibles” — items from the past 50 or so years. If that sounds different to you, you’re not alone. When most people think of collectibles, they think of antiques, coins, stamps, and other traditional categories. But
I have always been fascinated by astronomy. I had a modest telescope in high school, but all I could find in it was the Moon. As an adult, I tried again, buying a simple instrument for about $100. I think I saw Venus this time. I’ve investigated the more expensive telescopes that find celestial bodies
Today we’re going back in time to this period in 1863 — In mid-May, 1863, the American Civil War was taking an ominous turn against the Confederacy. Despite a brilliant victory by General Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia against General Joseph Hooker’s Army of the Potomac at the Battle of Chancellorsville during May
How complicated can the sport of running get? For diehards, pretty darn complicated! I’ve seen magazine articles on how to train, what to eat, what to wear, even how to tie shoelaces (a subject that can be surprisingly detailed if one is seeking just the right amount of pressure on one’s metatarsal bones). But one
Ode to a Modern Warrior He came at me mercilessly with anger in his eyes. His body language made it clear it was I that he despised. He swung a club right at my head, I barely ducked the blow. The next time I wasn’t quite as quick, he really laid me low. My brain
It’s a common story in history — how the Indians sold Manhattan island for a few dollars worth of trinkets. As a history nerd who has done some traveling, I know that history is never as simple as recounted in standard history books. Therefore, a segment of the May 24, 2015 edition of The Writer’s
A final thought on this school year — The last week of actual school (the week before finals) we had a fire drill and a tornado drill. You may wonder what’s the point (as I did) but there are requirements to be met and apparently two more squares needed to be filled. I was discussing
You have heard of the Smithsonian Institution? The man who provided the money for this famous organization was one James Smithson. He is described on page 4 of the June 2014 issue of Smithsonian magazine — He studied coffeemaking, human tears and snake venom, and published 27 scientific papers. His brain, a friend said, was “fruitful