• Spinel is made of magnesium, aluminum, and oxygen, which mix and melt where magma emerges. The molten solution seeps through cracks in the surrounding rock. The veins of spinel are often much harder than the surrounding rock, which weathers away, exposing the gem. Often spinel crystals fall into rivers and streams where they are carried downstream, collecting in alluvial deposits where they are easily mined. • Spinel (spin-ELLE) comes from the Latin word “spinella” meaning “thorn” because its pointed shape imitates the shape of a thorn. The same root word gives us “spine” because vertebrae are also shaped like […]
December 2023
TIDBITS® Considers Measurements
by Janet Spencer Give ‘em an inch and they’ll take a mile – but how did we get inches and miles? The history of measurements is a long road, so come along with Tidbits as we find out how we got here! FROM FEET TO FURLONGS • To consider the origin of Imperial units such as inches and miles, let’s start with an ordinary measurement: the foot. The Roman foot, called a “pes” (singular) or “pedes” (plural) was a basic unit of measurement for the Romans. Words including “pedestrian” and “pedometer” spring from this. • The foot was the basis […]
Jenny Lind – PEOPLE WORTH REMEMBERING –
– PEOPLE WORTH REMEMBERING – • A more improbable scenario would be hard to imagine: a plain-looking female singer from Sweden crosses the Atlantic to America, and on these shores sings classics in languages that few of her listeners understand. And although she performs at a time that has neither videos, nor radios, no stereos, nor laser shows, the young lady sets each audience on its ear. • This is the scenario that occurred in the U.S. between 1850 and 1852. What’s even more remarkable, to accomplish this feat, the artist, Jenny Lind, teamed up with P. […]
TESLA
As the popularity of electric cars increases, Tidbits looks into the history of the most popular one, made by a company with a net worth of $800 billion. • Although we associate the name of Elon Musk with Tesla, he was not one of the company’s founders. In 2003, the company was incorporated by engineers Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, who named the company in tribute to Serbian-American engineer and inventor Nikola Tesla, who was responsible for designing an alternating current electricity supply system. Eberhard and Tarpenning were the inventors of the very first handheld e-reader, the Rocket eBook, […]
Amelia Earhart – PEOPLE WORTH REMEMBERING –
– PEOPLE WORTH REMEMBERING – This week, Tidbits is researching the life of the greatest female aviator of all time. • Amelia Earhart saw her first airplane at the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines in 1907 when she was 10. Prompted by her father to take a ride, Amelia declared the biplane was “a thing of rusty wire and wood and not at all interesting,” and asked to return to the merry-go-round. • During World War I, Amelia received training as a Red Cross nurse’s aide and served at Toronto’s Spadina Military Hospital. Besides listening to stories from […]
TIDBITS® Explores December in History
by Kathy Wolfe The month of December is full of historical events, and this week, Tidbits takes the opportunity to focus on a few. • Vincent van Gogh is considered one of the greatest painters of all time. Over his career, he generated more than 800 oil paintings and 700 drawings. Yet he suffered from severe mental illness, including deep depression, hallucinations, and delusions. On December 23, 1888, the 35-year-old Van Gogh used a razor to slash off his left ear. He went home from the hospital after two weeks of healing, with no recollection of the incident whatsoever. […]
Sandy Beaches
• If you’re spending the winter in a northern state, this is about the right time to head south for a beach vacation over the holidays. Here are some facts about sand. • If you’re going to play in the sand, where could you go to do that? Well, there are about 372,000 miles (620,000 km) of coastline worldwide. Of that, about 31%, or 115,320 miles (115,320 km) consists of sandy beaches, with the rest being rocky or icy. The continent of Africa has the highest proportion of sandy beaches (66%) and Europe has the lowest (22%). • If you […]
TIDBITS® Celebrates Christmas
by Janet Spencer Polls show that 93% of Americans celebrate Christmas, even if they’re not religious. Whether or not you’re among the majority, you’ll be interested to read the following odd and obscure facts about the holiday. CHRISTMAS FACTS • Between 25 and 30 million real Christmas trees are sold in the U.S. each year, with Oregon being the top producer. About 92% of the Christmas trees cut in Oregon are exported to other states. Nearly half of all American households purchase a real tree, and the average price is about $80. The average price for an artificial […]
John Deere – PEOPLE WORTH REMEMBERING –
– PEOPLE WORTH REMEMBERING – • Pioneer farmers in the early 1800s had problems plowing the ground. The turf in the Midwest was not pebbly like New England’s; nor was it sandy like that of the coastal plains. Rather, it was sticky and thick. Because the soil was so stubborn, farmers’ plows would not work because the weary plowman had to stop every few feet to scrape mud off the blade of the plow. John Deere changed that. • Born in Rutland, Vermont, in 1804, Deere apprenticed himself to a blacksmith after his father disappeared, leaving him […]
CARILLONS
Ring those bells! This week, Tidbits chimes in with some details about carillons. • The carillon, a musical instrument in the percussion family, is comprised of bells and usually housed in a bell tower or belfry. To be classified as a carillon, it must have a minimum of 23 bells. Anything less is just a chime. The standard-sized carillon has about 50 bells, and the world’s largest has 77 bells. • The bells are cup-shaped and are hung in a frame. Shape and weight of the bell determine the pitch and quality of the tone. • Music is […]
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