1869: Four years after the Civil War, the United States is joined from coast to coast by a transcontinental railroad, as a ceremonial final spike is driven at Promontory Summit, Utah. Travel time from Atlantic to Pacific will soon fall from as much as six months, down to one week.
In an early example of [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Brake’
May 10, 1869: Golden Spike Links Nation by Rail
May 10th, 2010 |
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March 5, 1904: Tesla’s Having a Ball
March 5th, 2010 |
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1904: Physicist Nikola Tesla attempts to explain the phenomenon of “ball lightning.”
Ball lightning (if it exists at all) is an electrical discharge, usually appearing in spherical shape that, unlike regular lightning, tends to linger awhile. It occurs naturally but rarely, and despite the best efforts of Tesla and others, the exact origin of the phenomenon [...]
Make or brake
January 27th, 2010 |
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Toyota suffers another blow to its already wavering reputation
IN A race that matched Formula One for its predictability, Toyota Motor Corporation slipped past General Motors just under two years ago to become the world’s biggest carmaker. But even as Toyota built up the revs, all has not been well. The latest setback came on Tuesday January 26th when the firm announced that it would halt production temporarily at six assembly plants in north America and suspend sales of eight of its most popular models, including the Camry, the best-selling car in the United States.
Toyota’s latest troubles in America had begun to surface a week before when it announced a huge recall of 2.3m vehicles to fix accelerator pedals that could jam open, sending cars racing forwards without warning. Toyota is mulling a similar move in Europe that could affect a further 2m cars. The firm’s decision to stop sales and production in America is a substantial blow for the stumbling car giant. The output of these plants accounted for some 60% of sales in 2009. The news put a banana skin under its share price. …