Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Hurricane Irene from the the International Space Station

Hurricane Irene: An Expedition 28 crew member aboard the International Space Station captured this image of Hurricane Irene off the east coast of the United States on Friday, August 26, 2011, around 4:30 p.m. EDT (8:30 p.m. GMT).

This image or file is a work of an employee of the United States Federal Government, taken or made during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image or file is in the public domain.

Generally speaking, works created by U.S. Government employees are not eligible for copyright protection in the United States. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office.

NASA still images; audio files; video; and computer files used in the rendition of 3-dimensional models, such as texture maps and polygon data in any format, generally are not copyrighted. You may use NASA imagery, video, audio, and data files used for the rendition of 3-dimensional models for educational or informational purposes, including photo collections, textbooks, public exhibits, computer graphical simulations and Internet Web pages. This general permission extends to personal Web pages.

If the NASA material is to be used for commercial purposes, especially including advertisements, it must not explicitly or implicitly convey NASA's endorsement of commercial goods or services. If a NASA image includes an identifiable person, using the image for commercial purposes may infringe that person's right of privacy or publicity, and permission should be obtained from the person.

Hurricane Irene from the the International Space Station

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Hurricane Irene Makes Landfall

Hurricane Irene Makes Landfall - Visible Satellite Image. Hurricane Irene made landfall on 08/27/11 at approximately 7:30 am EDT near Cape Lookout, North Carolina with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (Category 1). These two NOAA GOES-13 satellite images capture Irene’s landfall moment. The first uses the visible sensor; the second is colorized infrared imagery. Hurricane warnings are in effect for much of the U.S. coast from North Carolina to Maine, as the latest National Hurricane Center’s projected path has it skirting the coast over the next 24 hours, possibly heading inland along Long Island, NY.

For the most recent satellite imagery and animations, please see our real-time imagery web page. Related Information: Latest storm information from the National Hurricane Center.

Copyright: NOAA The information provided here is public domain and may be used freely by the public.

This image or file is a work of an employee of the United States Federal Government, taken or made during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image or file is in the public domain.

Generally speaking, works created by U.S. Government employees are not eligible for copyright protection in the United States. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office.

Hurricane Irene Makes Landfall

Keywords: hurricane, Irene, GOES-13, 2011.08.27, landfall. Subject: Environmental Science. Natural Hazards. Audience: Informal Education. General Public.

Friday, August 26, 2011

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (August 27, 1770 – November 14, 1831) portrait of G.W.F. Hegel (1770-1831); Steel engraving by Lazarus Sichling (1812–1863) after a lithograph by Julius L. Sebbers (1804-1837).

MONG students of philosophy the mention of Hegel's name arouses at once a definite emotion. Few thinkers indeed have ever so completely fascinated the minds of their sympathetic readers, or have so violently repulsed their unwilling listeners, as Hegel has. To his followers Hegel is the true prophet of the only true philosophic creed, to his opponents, he has, in Professor James's words, "like Byron's corsair, left a name 'to other times, linked with one virtue and a thousand crimes.'"

The feelings of attraction to Hegel or repulsion from him do not emanate from his personality. Unlike Spinoza's, his life offers nothing to stir the imagination. Briefly, some of his biographical data are as follows: He was born at Stuttgart, the capital of Wiirtemberg, August 27, 1770. His father was a government official, and the family belonged to the upper middle class. Hegel received his early education at the Latin School and the Gymnasium of his native town.

At both these institutions, as well as at the University of Tubingen which he entered in 1788 to study theology, he distinguished himself as an eminently industrious, but not as a rarely gifted student. The certificate which he received upon leaving the University in 1793 speaks of his good character, his meritorious acquaintance with theology and languages, and his meagre knowledge of philosophy. This does not quite represent his equipment, however, for his private reading and studies carried him far beyond the limits of the regular curriculum. After leaving the University he spent seven years as family tutor in Switzerland and in Frankfurt-on-the-Main.

Soon after, in 1801, we find him as Privat-Docent; then, in 1805, as professor at the University of Jena. His academic activities were interrupted by the battle of Jena. For the next two years we meet him as an editor of a political journal at Bamberg, and from 1808 to 1816 as rector of the Gymnasium at Nuremberg. He was then called to a professorship of philosophy at Heidelberg. In 1818 he was called to Berlin to fill the vacancy left by the death of Fichte. From this time on until his death in 1831, he was the recognized dictator of one of the most powerful philosophic schools in the history of thought.

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel

This IMAGE (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923 (in this case c 1828) are now in the public domain.

This image is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris) in this case Lazarus Sichling (1812–1863) Julius L. Sebbers (1804-1837) and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from the last day of that year.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

The Great Moon Hoax

August 25, 1835 Great Moon Hoax a series of six articles that were published in the New York Sun. lithograph of "ruby amphitheater" for New York Sun, August 28, 1835 (4th article of 6). About the supposed discovery of life and even civilization on the Moon. The discoveries were falsely attributed to Sir John Herschel.

One of the most stupendous hoaxes, and one foisted on the credulity of the public with the most complete success, was the famous Moon Hoax which was published in the pages of the New York Sun in 1835. It purported to be an account of the great astronomical discoveries of Sir John Herschel at the Cape of Good Hope, through the medium of a mighty telescope, a single lens of which weighed nearly seven tons.

It was stated to be reproduced from the Supplement to the Edinburgh Journal of Science, though as a matter of fact, the Journal had then been defunct some years. In graphic language, and with a wealth of picturesque detail, the wonders of the Moon as revealed to the great astronomer and his assistants were set forth. A great inland sea was observed, and "fairer shores never angel coasted on a tour of pleasure." The beach was "of brilliant white sand, girt with wild castellated rocks apparently of green marble, varied at chasms, occurring every two hundred feet, with grotesque blocks of chalk or gypsum, and feathered and festooned at the summit with the clustering foliage of unknown trees."

There were hills of amethysts "of a diluted claret colour"; mountains fringed with virgin gold; herds of brown quadrupeds resembling diminutive bison fitted with a sort of "hairy veil" to protect their eyes from the extremes of light and darkness; strange monsters—a combination of unicorn and goat; pelicans, cranes, strange amphibious creatures, and a remarkable biped beaver. The last was said to resemble the beaver of the earth excepting that it had no tail and walked only upon its two feet.

It carried its young in its arms like a human-being, and its huts were constructed better and higher than those of many savage tribes; and, from the smoke, there was no doubt it was acquainted with the use of fire. Another remarkable animal observed, was described as having an amazingly long neck, a head like a sheep, bearing two spiral horns, a body like a deer, but with its fore-legs disproportionately long as also its tail which was very bushy and of a snowy whiteness, curling high over its rump and hanging two or three feet by its side.

The Great Moon Hoax


the great moon hoax

The Great Moon Hoax

Description: Rough image of en:1835 en:lithograph of "ruby amphitheater" described in en:New York Sun newspaper issue of en:28 August en:1835: "Our plain was of course immediately covered with the ruby front of this mighty amphitheater, its tall figures, leaping cascades, and rugged caverns. As its almost interminable sweep was measured off on the canvass, we frequently saw long lines of some yellow metal hanging from the crevices of the horizontal strata in will net-work, or straight pendant branches. We of course concluded that this was virgin gold, and we had no assay-master to prove to the contrary."

The image is of an 1835 lithograph, over 170 years old, and is intended to describe the associated newspaper article.

This IMAGE (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923 (in this case 1835) are now in the public domain.

This image is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris) and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from the last day of that year.

TEXT CREDIT: Famous impostors

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Mount of the Holy Cross

August 24, 1873: William Henry Jackson becomes the first person to photograph Mount of the Holy Cross the northernmost 14,000 foot mountain in the Sawatch Range, part of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, providing reliable proof of its existence. (Not this image unfortunately)

Title: Mount of the Holy Cross. Creator(s): Detroit Photographic Co., Date Created / Published: c1900. Medium: 1 photomechanical print : photochrom, color. Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ppmsca-18000 (digital file from original item)

Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication. Collections: Library of Congress, Photochrom Prints. Images in this collection are considered to be in the public domain.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Photochrom Collection

The Photochrom Print Collection has almost 6,000 views of Europe and the Middle East and 500 views of North America. Published primarily from the 1890s to 1910s, these prints were created by the Photoglob Company in Zürich, Switzerland, and the Detroit Publishing Company in Michigan. The richly colored images look like photographs but are actually ink-based photolithographs, usually 6.5 x 9 inches.

Call Number: LOT 13923, no. 192 [item] [P&P] Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Notes: Copyright 1900 by Detroit Photographic Co. Title from item. Detroit Publishing Co. no. "53136". Forms part of: Photochrom Print Collection. More information about the Photochrom Print Collection is available at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.pgz

Subjects: Mountains. United States--Colorado--Holy Cross, Mount of the.

Format: Photochrom prints--Color.

Collections: Photochrom Prints.

Mount of the Holy Cross

Unedited Images: JPEG (66kb) || JPEG (186kb) || TIFF (121.6mb)

TEXT RESOURCES:

Sunday, August 21, 2011

William Wallace rejects the English proposals to put down his arms

William Wallace rejects the English proposals to put down his arms. From a A chronicle of England Author: James Edmund Doyle, Publisher: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts, & Green, 1864. Edmund Evans (1826–1905) English engraver and printer.

This IMAGE (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923 (in this case 1864) are now in the public domain.

This image is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris), in this case Edmund Evans (1826–1905), and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from the last day of that year.

A last attempt to induce the peaceable submission of the Scots. Two Dominican monks were selected as the bearers of his proposals. They found the Scottish host encamped upon the hills above the abbey of Cambuskenneth, and delivered their message to the leaders. "Tell your countrymen," answered Wallace, "that we have come here, not for peace, but for war,—to revenge ourselves and liberate our country. Let them come on: we will meet them to their beards." The envoys returned, and their report was generally hailed with joy in the English ranks.

William Wallace rejects the English proposals to put down his arms

There were some, however, who doubted the prudence of advancing by the long and narrow bridge of Stirling, the most direct approach to the enemy. Sir Richard Lundy offered to lead a body of troops round by a ford, and attack his countrymen in the rear, while the Guardian effected the passage of the bridge; hut his plan was rejected. The council still hesitated, when Cressingham declared vehemently against wasting the king's treasure in protracted operations. "Let us cross," he said, "and do our duty."

Upon this, Warrenne gave the order, and his troops began to file over the bridge, Not a fourth had passed, when the Scots poured down from the hills, rushed impetuously on their enemies, seized the northern head of the bridge, and cut the English army in two. Nearly all who had crossed (to the number of about 5000) fell beneath the weapons of the Scots, or were drowned in attempting to escape, while their commander and the main body looked on, helpless to avert their fate. Amongst the slain was Cressingham. The Guardian, after placing a garrison in the castle of Stirling, hurriedly retreated to Berwick.

TEXT CREDIT: A chronicle of England By James Edmund Doyle

Saturday, August 20, 2011

America Racing Yacht

The America was a racing yacht that won the the international sailing trophy now known as the America's Cup on August 22, 1851.

Title: America Related Names: Detroit Publishing Co. , publisher. Date Created/Published: [1891 Aug.] Medium: 1 negative : glass ; 8 x 10 in. Reproduction Number: LC-D4-5618 (b&w glass neg.) Call Number: LC-D4-5618 [P&P]

Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

Notes: Date from Detroit, Catalogue F (1899). Detroit Publishing Co. no. 05618. Gift; State Historical Society of Colorado; 1949.

Subjects: America (Schooner) Yachts. Format: Dry plate negatives.

Collections: Detroit Publishing Company. Part of: Detroit Publishing Company Photograph Collection.

Publication and other forms of distribution: Most of the images in this collection were published before 1923 and are therefore in the public domain.

Credit Line: Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Detroit Publishing Company Collection, [reproduction number, e.g., LC-D4-10865]

This IMAGE (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923 (in this case 1891 Aug) are now in the public domain.

America Racing Yacht

Friday, August 19, 2011

Nat Turner

William Henry Shelton’s wood engraving illustration of Benjamin Phipps's, “Discovery of Nat Turner,” (1800-1831) on October 30, 1831, which first appeared in 1882 in A Popular History of the United States.

This IMAGE (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923 (in this case 1831) are now in the public domain.

This image is also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris), in this case William Henry Shelton (1840–1932), and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from the last day of that year.

Nat Turner's Insurrection from: A social history of the American negro, being a history of the negro probrlem in the United States, including a history and study of the republic of Liberia

Nat Turner


Nat Turner

Nat Turner

About noon on Sunday, August 21, 1831, on the plantation of Joseph Travis at Cross Keys, in Southampton County, in Southeastern Virginia, were gathered four Negroes, Henry Porter, Hark Travis, Nelson Williams, and Sam Francis, evidently preparing for a barbecue. They were soon joined by a gigantic and athletic Negro named Will Francis, and by another named Jack Reese. Two hours later came a short, strong-looking man who had a face of great resolution and at whom one would not have needed to glance a second time to know that he was to be the master-spirit of the company.

Seeing Will and his companion he raised a question as to their being present, to which Will replied that life was worth no more to him than the others and that liberty was as dear to him. This answer satisfied the latest comer, and Nat Turner now went into conference with his most trusted friends. One can only imagine the purpose, the eagerness, and the firmness on those dark faces throughout that long summer afternoon and evening. When at last in the night the low whispering ceased, the doom of nearly three-score white persons—and it might be added, of twice as many Negroes—was sealed.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Women's suffrage The 19th Amendment

The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, guaranteeing women the right to vote. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton drafted the amendment and first introduced it in 1878; it was forty-one years later, in 1919, when the Congress submitted the amendment to the states for ratification. A year later, it is ratified by Tennessee on August 18, 1920, giving it the two-thirds majority of state ratification necessary to make it the law of the land.

As America was the first country in which was made the experiment of a representative government by men, it is natural that it should be the first in which women asked a representation. The very first woman to make this demand, so far as known, was Mistress Margaret Brent, of Maryland, in 1647. She was heir of Lord Calvert, the brother of Lord Baltimore, and executor of the estates of both in the colony, and, as representation in the Legislature was based on property, she demanded "place and voyce"—two votes—in that body. Her petition was hotly debated for several hours and finally denied. The precedent was then established which Legislatures have been following ever since when women have petitioned for "place and voyce."

Title: WOMAN SUFFRAGE. AT WHITE HOUSE WITH BANNERS. Creator(s): Harris & Ewing, photographer. Date Created/Published: 1914. Medium: 1 negative : glass ; 5 x 7 in. or smaller. Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-hec-03677 (digital file from original negative)

Women's suffrage The 19th Amendment

Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication.

Call Number: LC-H261- 3457 [P&P] Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print

Notes: Title from unverified caption data received with the Harris & Ewing Collection.
Gift; Harris & Ewing, Inc. 1955. General information about the Harris & Ewing Collection is available at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.hec Temp. note: Batch one.

Subjects: United States--District of Columbia--Washington (D.C.) Format: Glass negatives. Collections: Harris & Ewing Collection. Part of: Harris & Ewing Collection (Library of Congress)

TEXT RESOURCES:

Monday, August 15, 2011

Grey Alien

Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs) This issue is no longer being investigated by the Defense Department. As you may know, the United States Air Force began investigating UFOs in 1948 under a program called Project Sign. Later the program's name was changed to Project Grudge, and in 1953 it was changed again to Project Blue Book. On December 17, 1969, the Secretary of the Air Force announced the termination of Project Blue Book.

The decision to discontinue UFO investigations was based on a number of factors, including reports and studies by the University of Colorado and the National Academy of Sciences, as well as past UFO studies and the Air Force's two decades of experience investigating UFO reports.

As a result of these investigations, studies, and experience, the conclusions of Project Blue Book were:

No UFO reported, investigated, and evaluated by the Air Force has ever given any indication of threat to our national security.

There has been no evidence submitted to or discovered by the Air Force that sightings categorized as "unidentified" represent technological developments or principles beyond the range of present-day scientific knowledge.

Grey AlienThere has been no evidence indicating that sightings categorized as "unidentified" are extraterrestrial vehicles.

Between 1948 and 1969 the Air Force investigated 12,618 reported UFO sightings. Of these, 11,917 were found to have been caused by material objects such as balloons, satellites, and aircraft; immaterial objects such as lightning, reflections, and other natural phenomena; astronomical objects such as stars, planets, the sun, and the moon; weather conditions; and hoaxes. Only 701 reported sightings remain unexplained.

All documentation regarding the former Blue Book investigation was permanently transferred to the Military Reference Branch, National Archives and Records Administration, 8th and Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington, DC 20408, and is available for public review. A list of private organizations interested in aerial phenomena can be found in Gale's Encyclopedia of Associations, available in the reference section of many libraries. Air Force Fact Sheets on this topic may be viewed, including one about the so-called Roswell Incident . The Naval Historical Center has compiled a bibliography.

Artistic depiction of a Grey Alien. Drawing made by user LeCire for its use on Wikipedia, pencil technique with digital painting.

I, the copyright holder of this work, release this work into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In some countries this may not be legally possible; if so: I grant anyone the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Black Tesla Roadster

Black Tesla Roadster: The AC induction motor and single speed gear box create instant torque from 0 rpm. Up to 295 lbs-ft of torque and 288 horsepower are produced as the car smoothly accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds.

The hand-built, carbon fiber Roadster sets the mark electric cars to come. The monocoque chassis, constructed of resin-bonded and riveted extruded aluminum adds rigidity and strength to the lightweight package.

The Roadster offers performance without emissions. Engineered for efficiency, the zero-emissions Roadster can drive 245 miles per charge. It plugs into nearly any outlet, anywhere in the world.

I, (sookietex) the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In case this is not legally possible, I grant any entity the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

If This image is subject to copyright in your jurisdiction, i (sookietex) the copyright holder have irrevocably released all rights to it, allowing it to be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, used, modified, built upon, or otherwise exploited in any way by anyone for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, with or without attribution of the author, as if in the public domain.

Black Tesla Roadster

Black Tesla Roadster

Black Tesla Roadster

Black Tesla Roadster

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Friday, August 12, 2011

Green Tesla Roadster

About Tesla: Tesla produces a full range of electric cars, from sports cars to mass-market vehicles. It is currently the only U.S. automaker that builds and sells highway-capable EVs in serial production. Palo Alto, California-based Tesla designs and manufactures EVs and EV powertrain components. Tesla has delivered more than 1,600 Roadsters to customers in North America, Europe and the Asia Pacific Region. Model S, the first premium sedan to be built from the ground up as an electric vehicle, goes on the market in mid-2012.

Tesla 1,600 Roadsters have collectively driven more than 11 million real-world electric miles.

Tesla Motors is named after electrical engineer and physicist Nikola Tesla. The Tesla Roadster uses an AC motor descended directly from Tesla's original 1882 design, which he said came to him in a feverish hallucination due to exhaustion when he was working as an engineer and inventor in Austria-Hungary.

The Tesla Roadster, their first vehicle, is the first production automobile to use lithium-ion battery cells and the first production EV with a range greater than 200 miles per charge.

The base model accelerates 0–60 mph in 3.9 seconds and, according to Tesla Motor's environmental analysis, is twice as energy efficient as the Toyota Prius. As of June 30 2011, Tesla had delivered more than 1,840 Roadsters in at least 30 countries. Tesla has said that it will produce a total serial production run of 2,400 Roadsters. Tesla began producing right-hand-drive Roadsters in early 2010 for the UK and Ireland markets, then expanded sales to right-hand-drive markets of Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Green Tesla Roadster

Green Tesla Roadster

I, (sookietex) the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. This applies worldwide. In case this is not legally possible, I grant any entity the right to use this work for any purpose, without any conditions, unless such conditions are required by law.

If This image is subject to copyright in your jurisdiction, i (sookietex) the copyright holder have irrevocably released all rights to it, allowing it to be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, used, modified, built upon, or otherwise exploited in any way by anyone for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, with or without attribution of the author, as if in the public domain.

TEXT RESOURCES:

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Cleopatra and Caesar

Cleopatra VII Philopator (Late 69 BC – August 12, 30 BC)

Artist: Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904). Title: Cleopatra and Caesar. Date: 1866.

Notes: Cleopatra Before Caesar by Jean-Léon Gérôme, oil on canvas, 1866. Cleopatra confronts Gaius Julius Caesar after emerging from a roll of carpet. The Egyptian Queen had been driven from the palace in Alexandria by her brother / husband Ptolemy XIII. She had to disguise herself, rolled in a carpet, to regain entry and treat with Caesar for protection and restoration of her throne.

This IMAGE (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office. Works published before 1923 (in this case 1866) are now in the public domain.

These images are also in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris), in this case Jean-Léon Gérôme (1824–1904), and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from the last day of that year.

Cleopatra and Caesar

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

NASA's Echo 1 satellite

At 5:39 a.m. on August 12, 1960, Thor-Delta No. 2 blasted into the sky from launchpad 17 at Cape Canaveral, taking its balloon into orbit. A few minutes later, the balloon inflated perfectly. At 7:41 a.m., still on its first orbit, Echo 1 relayed its first message, reflecting a radio signal shot aloft from California to Bell Labs in New Jersey. "This is President Eisenhower speaking," the voice from space said. "This is one more significant step in the United States' program of space research and exploration being carried forward for peaceful purposes. The satellite balloon, which has reflected these words, may be used freely by any nation for similar experiments in its own interest." After the presidential message, NASA used the balloon to transmit two way telephone conversations between the east and west coasts. Then a signal was transmitted from the United States to France and another was sent in the opposite direction. During the first two weeks, the strength of the signal bounced off Echo I remained within one decibel of Langley's theoretical calculations.

The newspapers sounded the trumpets of success: "U.S. Takes Big Jump in Space Race"; "U.S. Orbits World's First Communications Satellite: Could Lead to New Marvels of Radio and TV Projection"; "Bright Satellite Shines Tonight." So eager was the American public to get a glimpse of the balloon that NASA released daily schedules telling when and where the sphere could be seen overhead.

For the engineers from Langley who were lucky enough to be at Cape Canaveral for the launch, this was a heady time. Norm Crabill remembers hearing the report that "Australia's got the beacon," meaning that the tracking station on that far-off continent had picked up the satellite's beacon signal. To this day, Crabill "gets goose bumps just thinking about that moment." He remembers thinking, "Anything's possible!" After all, the space age had arrived, and in a sense, anything was.

NASA's Echo 1 satellite

This file is in the public domain because it was created by NASA. NASA copyright policy states that "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted"

This image or file is a work of an employee of the United States Federal Government, taken or made during the course of the person's official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image or file is in the public domain.

Generally speaking, works created by U.S. Government employees are not eligible for copyright protection in the United States. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF from the U.S. Copyright Office.

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman Wizard of Oz

Wizard of Oz Little Wizard Stories of Oz: There lived in the Land of Oz two queerly made men who were the best of friends. They were so much happier when together that they were seldom apart; yet they liked to separate, once in a while, that they might enjoy the pleasure of meeting again.

One was a Scarecrow. That means he was a suit of blue Munchkin clothes, stuffed with straw, on top of which was fastened a round cloth head, filled with bran to hold it in shape. On the head were painted two eyes, two ears, a nose and a mouth. The Scarecrow had never been much of a success in scaring crows, but he prided himself on being a superior man, because he could feel no pain, was never tired and did not have to eat or drink. His brains were sharp, for the Wizard of Oz had put pins and needles in the Scarecrow's brains.

The other man was made all of tin, his arms and legs and head being cleverly jointed so that he could move them freely. He was known as the Tin Woodman, having at one time been a woodchopper, and everyone loved him because the Wizard had given him an excellent heart of red plush.

Wizard of Oz: Title: Little Wizard Stories of Oz 1014 by L. Frank Baum (Lyman Frank), 1856-1919. Illustrated by John R. Neill (John Rea), 1877-1943

The Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman Wizard of Oz

This image (or other media file) is in the public domain because its copyright has expired. This applies to the United States, where Works published prior to 1978 were copyright protected for a maximum of 75 years. See Circular 1 "COPYRIGHT BASICS" PDF. Works published before 1923, in this case 1914, are now in the public domain.

This image may however not be in the public domain in countries that figure copyright from the date of death of the artist (post mortem auctoris), in this case John R. Neill 1877-1943, and that most commonly runs for a period of 50 to 70 years from that date. This image may not be in the public domain in these countries, which moreover do not implement the rule of the shorter term If your use will be outside the United States please check your local law.

TEXT CREDIT: Little Wizard Stories of Oz

Monday, August 08, 2011

Betty Boop

August 9, 1930 Betty Boop made her cartoon debut in Dizzy Dishes. Title screen for the Betty Boop cartoon series.

This work is in the public domain because it was published in the United States between 1923 and 1963, and its copyright was not renewed. It may not be in the public domain in countries that do not apply the rule of the shorter term for US works, such as Canada, China (not Macau or Taiwan), Germany, and Switzerland. See Copyright Term and the Public Domain in the United States for further explanation.

Betty Boop made her first appearance on August 9, 1930, in the cartoon Dizzy Dishes the sixth installment in Fleischer's Talkartoon series. Although Clara Bow is often given as being the model for Boop, she actually began as a caricature of singer Helen Kane. The character was originally created as an anthropomorphic French poodle.

Max Fleischer finalized Betty Boop as a human character in 1932, in the cartoon Any Rags. Her floppy poodle ears became hoop earrings, and her black poodle nose became a girl's button-like nose. Betty Boop appeared as a supporting character in 10 cartoons as a flapper girl with more heart than brains. In individual cartoons, she was called "Nancy Lee" or "Nan McGrew" – derived from the 1930 Helen Kane film Dangerous Nan McGrew – usually serving as a girlfriend to studio star, Bimbo.

Betty Boop

Betty's voice was first performed by Margie Hines, and was later performed by several different voice actresses, including Kate Wright, Bonnie Poe, Ann Rothschild (aka Little Ann Little), and most notably, Mae Questel. Questel, who began voicing Betty Boop in 1931, continued with the role until her death in 1998.

TEXT RESOURCE: Betty Boop From Wikipedia