In WWII, nuclear weapons were the foundation for ending the war. We raced against Hitler in an attempt to beat him to the atomic bomb. If he we had not beaten him, I would be speaking German right now and free speech would be limited. The atomic bomb is one of the most lethal weapons to date, and the pure imagining of your enemy having this weapon should be enough to end a war. If you really think about it, the atomic bomb is a metaphor for a war itself. The bomb is created, which is the creation of an army. The side threatens war with the bomb, which is the threat of war. The bomb is then dropped, which is the insertion of the army. The bomb explodes, which is the fighting of war. And the ashes, rubble and radiation remaining is the impact of war itself. The atomic bomb is a small war altogether, but only now does war fly a thousand times faster.

The Story of Samuel Slater

After reading about the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th century, I was curious as to how it began.

Samuel Slater is known as the "Father of the American Industrial Revolution" because he brought much of the early 19th century technology to the United States, and created some of the first American factories and mills.

During the 1800s, England had many emigration laws that prevented scientists and engineers from sharing their technological secrets with other parts of the world. Every attempt that had been made towards smuggling English technology to the United States had failed. However, instead of trying to bring actual inventions, documents, or manuals to the united states, Samuel Slater memorized how mills were built, and essentially sold this knowledge to the Americans once he reached New York. He created the first cotton mill in America, and although at first it struggled to turn a profit at first, after incorporating other revolutionary technologies the mill became a huge success.

fertilizer

Although fertilizer has been in use for thousands of years, the common form of chemical fertilizer was created in the 1800s. The original fertilizer that is still used today in animal manuer. Ancient farmers found that by spreading manuer from their farm animals their plants would grow brigger and faster, thus the invention of fertilizer. Then inn the 1700s scientists like Francis Baco discovered and recommended adding saltpeter to plants to healthen them. The first chemical fertilizer was created by mixing fish bones with sulfuric acid. After World War I the fertilizer industry boomed making it easier for farmers to grow their plants and feeding the agricultural revolution. Sulfur, POtassium, and Phosphorus are common elements that today are used in fertilizer bags. 

Electricity

The first history of electricity can be traced back all the way to the Egyptian times, in the form of electric fish. Egyptian texts referred to them as "Thunderer of the Nile" as they were the "protector" of the other fish. These fish can also be traced back to the Greeks and Romans, as there were reports of the catfish and torpedo rays delivering a numbing electric shock.

Electricity was a mere curiosity that scientists someday hoped that they may be able to study and research, until the seventeenth century. English physician William Gilbert did a close study of electricity by rubbing amber together which showed the Loadstone effect. Further work was done by others following this, one of the others being Benjamin Franklin. He even sold his own possessions to fund money for his research. Franklin attached a key to the bottom of a wet kite, and flew the kite in a heavy thunderstorm. Sparks went from the key to the back of his hand, which proved that electricity was very much in nature.

Luis Galvani proved that with bioelectricity, electricity was the medium that the nerve cells used to send signals to the muscle. Batteries were invented later on, which were a much more reliable source than the electrostatic machines that were previously used. Electricity use turned from a mere curiosity into a large source of requirement in our society today. All of this was found from here.

The Telegraph and Telephone

In 1832 Samuel F. B. Morse came up with the idea of an electromechanical telegraph. In 1837 the idea was revised by Leonard Gale into a working mechanical form. Then the telegraph was going to be demonstrated, but they tried underground cables and then the idea of telegraph poles came about and that worked a lot better than the

underground cables did. The first commercial telegraph line was finished in 1846, and it was set up to go from Washington DC to New York.

As you can see from the ideas above, the telephone evolved from the telegraph a little later. From the ideas above they had already learned that telegraph poles worked a lot better than underground, and as you can see today, we have telephone poles which probably originated from the inspiration of the telegraph poles.

The invention of the telegraph was very important because it was an advancement in technology and it allowed people to communicate with each other easier and faster than before.

(above is Samuel F. B. Morse, the original inventor)

Here are pictures of some telegraphs

Robin Currie "History of the Telegraph" http://historywired.si.edu/detail.cfm?ID=324 (accessed October 29, 2009).

Pictures from...

http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/archives/images/set2/telegraph1.jpg

http://de.academic.ru/pictures/dewiki/115/samuel_morse.jpg

http://cache.eb.com/eb/image?id=91542&rendTypeId=4

Cotton Gin

The Cottin Gin was one of the most powerful tools during the Industrial Revolution. First off, the cotton gin was a machine that quickly and efficiently seperated the seeds from the cotton. Not only was it at a very fast pace, but that it was a machine. This meaning, ALL of the seeds were picked out from the cotton since machines never fail to do its job. In addition, to having a machine picking the seeds out of cotton, the cotton gin made cotton so much less expensive since it was quicker and easier to make. As a result, more people could pay for cotton and it soon became a main product used for clothing. The Cotton Gin was not the only big revolutionary machinery made, it was definitely one of the more important revolutions happening during the Industrial Revolution.

The Spinning Jenny

The spinning jenny was a huge part of the industrial revolution and along with the flying shuttle, cotton gin, and spinning frame, the textile business thrived in Europe. It was invented by James Hargreaves, who was born in England in 1720 and never learned to even read or write and had no formal education. The purpose of the spinning jenny was to increase the speed at which yarn/thread could be produced and to make things in the textile mills.

When the spinning jenny was first invented in 1764, it did the work of eight men by using eight spindles instead of just one like the original spinning wheel. So, a spinning jenny could do the work of eight men at one time. Later models of the spinning jenny had up to 120 spindles.

In 1768, a group of spinners broke into Hargreaves house and destroyed all of his machines because they were worried about losing their jobs. It turns out that they were right and the spinning jenny ended up replacing people all over europe. However, the spinning jenny produced thread that was too coarse for some kinds of cloth, so it did not completely wipe out the spinners (workers who spun thread) of the 18th century.

Part of the reason that the industrial reason began in the first place was the agricultural revolution. With more advanced technology in the fields, farmers could harvest their crops much more efficiently and less laborers were needed around the farms. This lead to a large number of jobless people who soon found places to work in Europe. This surplus labor was used to develop and advance industry in Britain, especially the textile industry.

The Steam Engine

Steam engines are heat engines that do mechanical work using steam as fuel. They use boiling water to produce mechanical motion. Steam engines were used for a wide range of manufacturing machinery. Steam engines eliminated the necessity for water wheels and windmills. Now a days we use steam engines for steam tractors and some trains.

The Power Loom

The power loom was designed by Edmund Cartwright. Looms were used to weave yarn. They normally would weave any excess yarn they had. Cartwrights Loom was the main idea of Kenworthy and Bullough who took his idea and turned it into an automatic machine. Once the machine was automatic it made everything easier. Workers could have multiple looms in one room running by themselves.

Industrial Revolution

In the reading we read about different industrial accomplishments such as the cotton gin, the power loom, and locomotives. All these and more technology was improved allowing us to progress in the industry. One of the departments we progressed in was transportation, be it people or supplies/objects. Before the locomotives were made there were steamboats. I decided to do some research on steamboats and I found an article History of Steamboats. As we all know a steamboat needs a steam engine to function and they would of not been created if it were not for James Watt who created the first steam engine. The creator of the steamboats is debatable John Fitch created the first prototype steamboat, and it was successful. The prototype was launched on August 22, 1787 on the Delaware River. It was seen by Members of the Constitutional Convention of US. However the first commercial successful steamboat was made by Robert Fulton in 1807. It went from New York to Albany in 32 hours and it covered 150 miles. In 1811 Robert Fulton and Livingstone built a medium size transportation and by the end of 1844 they started a transportation service. As you can see these steamboats proved to be very efficient. They were a faster way of traveling, and transporting goods. Since locomotives weren't created at this time it was one of the fastest transportation's. This is part of what made the Industrial Revolution progress.

The Spinning Jenny

The Spinning Jenny is a multi spool spinning wheel which was invented by James Hargreaves in the Northwest of England. The device was used for creating yarn and it dramatically reduced the amount of people and work needed to produce yarn.

Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution increased the most in 1750 to 1900. There was a great increase in the ability of human society to become wealthy. One invention made by a man named Eli Whitney was the cotton gin. This machine was a great success and his creation revolutionized the cotton industry in the United States. Before, it would take hundreds of hours by hand to separate the cotton seeds from the cotton fibers themselves. After creating the cotton gin, the process of removing seeds became automatic. It made up to fifty pounds of cotton in one day. Since this process was moving rapidly, the cost of cotton also jumped a great amount, and was used for all kinds of clothing. 

Unfortunately, Eli Whitney did not live to see how his invention led a progressive success to the American industry. Even though the cotton gin allowed less labor, it did not reduce the number of slaves in any way to grow and pick the cotton. Cotton became very profitable and higher increased the demands of farmers for the land. 

The Guillotine. Should they have used it or not?

Is the Guillotine the right way to kill a person who has done a bad deed? Do they deserve to die because of it? I think the Guillotine, the device used to execute men and woman, was something too harsh to use. In the middle of 1932, the government decided that the guillotine was "allegedly scandalous" for the public eye. Instead of having this act be done in public they were going to move it to be somewhere more private. This place was called the prison courtyard, somewhere inside where the killings could not be seen. A guillotine was started to be used because it was a quick and easy way to kill a person. It was a tall figure that slammed down to slice the person in half. In addition, the guillotine should have only been used when it was dealing with people who had done something horrible, like murder. But the guillotine was used for all different types of punishments. Thank god they stopped using it around 35 years after they made it go into private.

Locke vs Hobbes

Locke and Hobbes were two very important philosophers. They were both empiricists. An empiricist is a person who studies how we know "things." The reason why everything is here. Locke had some ideas that differred from Hobbes and he had some that were similiar. Locke believed that human nature, which are things all normal human beings have in common, are influenced by reason and tolerance. I believe that this is somewhat true. We do things for a reason, but then again we sometimes do bad or good things if we dont have a reason at all. They both agreed on that men and woman are selfish due to human nature. It gave them the freedom to be unequal and rise to a higher social status.

Hobbes was different, but then had some of the same ideas as Locke. A main thing that was similiar to the two, was that they were both political philosophers and they were empiricists. Unlike Locke, Hobbes was one of the main philosophers who "discovered" materialism. Being materialistic means that you are obsessed with having all the new accessories that you can hold and touch. All in all, Hobbes and Locke had many different views, but they had the same profession as a philosopher.

Locke Compared to the Modern World

John Locke was a british man who had very similar views on government to ours in the U.S. today. He wanted the separation of church and government, just like our system that we obey today. He brought up the idea of checks and balances, and it was this idea that led him to support the idea that all people had inalienable rights. He even pushed for women's rights, and it was to this extent that he wished the government would concern. Being a secular man, he detested religion, but did not wish to disprove it. He simply referred to religion as nature, and would call the common "acts of God" nature. He is very similar to the other people we have studied in this era of enlightenment, but he is the only one who believes that everything should be completely balanced to the extent that no one is above another, but rather equaled by at least one other. This system is very similar to our President - Judicial Branch - Senators and House of Reps. They all equally rule, but the citizens always have a say.

Upon doing further research on Locke, I found that he also has a strong view on ownership or property. He feels that property is any material good, and that property is a natural right earned through labor. Meaning that you should be rewarded for your work, no matter the level of importance. I find this very similar to our system of minimum wage, and how no worker goes unpaid.

To summarize this knowledge, I would basically say that Locke was looking far into the future and could have been a major influence in our common beliefs today.

science Galileo

After doing the reading in the science section of the ways of the world, I came across Galileo Galilei. I was really interested on his scientific acheivement of making the telescope and discovering more about the solar system. So I decided to do some extensive research on the topic to answer some questions that were wandering in my head.

Galileo developed a more advanced telescope, which he saw sunspots with. With that, he discovered new stars such as Jupiter.

His discoery lead to the findings that all planets revolved around the sun and that there was a gravitational force because some of the planets seemed to dissapear from him when they actually revolved somewhere else.

Cy PowerPoint Presentation 9/29/2009

Tomorrow (9.29.2009), I'll be doing a PPT/Speech presentation, further discussing my thoughts on gods, religions, faith, and knowledge. It will focus on some of the comments people have made (specifically Rehan and Carson) during, and after our class discussion. It should take no longer than 10 minutes.

-Cy

Nicolaus Copernicus

In the reading, i found Copernicus particularly interesting. Before Copernicus, everyone believed that the earth was the center of the universe and that all attention of god and the universe was centered on the earth. it was believed that angels guided the planets around their orbits and god oversaw the whole thing, and intervened whenever he felt necessary. Then Copernicus came along. He believed that the earth was not at the center of the universe, but in fact the sun was at the center. that all things revolved around the sun and that the earth was in fact not the center of all attention. He strongly believed in his theory and believed it could be supported with sufficient evidence, but he didn't publish his findings and works until the day of his death, because of his fear of the Catholic Church. Copernicus marked the start of the scientific revolution, and many great astronomers would build on his discoveries.

A very brief history of his life:

He was born in Torun, Poland in 1473. He studied astronomy for the first time at University of Cracow, 1491-1494. Elected canon of the cathedral chapter of Frombork. He Matriculated in 1496 as part of his requirement as canon at the University of Bologna studying canon and civil law. Also worked as an assistant to the professor of astrology and mathematics. Studied medicine at the university of Padua from 1501-3, then moved to University of Ferrara to obtain doctorate in Canon law in 1503. 1514, Copernicus created his own theory on motion of planet and where the earth was located in the universe. 1530-40, his reputation as a skilled spread and he shared his theories and ideas with many scholars. His reputation even reached the ears of the pope. He published his theories in a book: On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres in march 1543, just a month before his death.

Comparing the three most scientifically advanced countries

Europe, China, and the realm of Islam were all majorly advanced in the scientific world. China had its' education. They focused on the writings and examiniations of Confucianism. One scholar once said that "the pursuit of scientific subjects was thereby regulated to the margins of Chinese society." He meant that the Chinese just wanted to focus on their religion and how studying and learning what Confucianism is all about was their main goal in excelling. In addition,unlike the Europeans, they did not believe in making independant institutions just for scholars who would be studying with freedom. On the other hand, the realm of Islam saw that philosophy and natural science were just lies in the world and they wanted to pursue in education by Quranic studies and religious law. Inside their religious book, the Quran, which was the divine guidance and direction for mankind, and considered the original Arabic text and final revelation of God,was what all religious scholars thought and believed in. They tried challenging scientificly speaking and humorously failed because they still believed that "God would protect them from useless knowledge." Last, but not least, Europe had a whole new twist to advancing scientifically. By the twelfth to thirteenth century, Europe had progressed dramatically ahead of all the other countries. They came up with a variety of institutions including the Church, towns/cities, and even universities. Like I said in the realm of Islam, they believed that relgious law was more important than any other aspect for advancement, which makes sense why Europe was so far ahead of them in the "race." The race so to speaking is who can be the most advanced. So instead, they followed secular law. Europeans found themselves exchaning all sorts of important resources from all over the world. Some major staple resources were lands, people, plants, and animals. The 4 key, in my mind, elements to survive and acheive great things. Europe had found a more useful and quicker way to develop their technology compared to China and the realm of Islam.

Galileo and Newton

Galileo and Newton were scientists that had major findings and discoveries that contributed to the Scientific Revolution.

Galileo was the first to use the telescope to observe the universe like the stars and moon and sun. He also noticed that the sun has spots on it and that is is not perfect. These sun spots helped provide evidence that the Sun rotates and that the Earth could rotate as well too. He also started the theories of gravity and the acceleration of falling objects.

The discovery of gravity helped spark the discoveries and the laws of gravity that Newton later established. Here is a link that states Newton's Laws of Gravity.

Newton's laws of motion

The church did not appreciate Galileo's new findings. He challenged them because of these new ideas and because of that the later part of his life was spent under house arrest. This connects to the the social and political changes because the church was losing its authority because people were realizing new things that that they could do more things on their own instead of under the rule of the church. Science began to take away power from the church and helped establish more individuality in the people.

I hope this is ok... :)