Submitted by: Boing Boing Fan
Via Boing Boing
Maybe Kraftwerk, maybe Mannheim Steam Roller… – Frankie Fix-It
Favorite Comment: baronobeefdip says, “Dr. Frank N. Furter’s prototype for the Sonic Transducer wasn’t quite as impressive as the final product.”
Submitted by: Birgit Ingen Housz
And from the looks of that mustache. That guy is no wuss. – Frankie Fix-It
Favorite Comment: fixer carin says, “I don’t understand why this is here. Obviously he isn’t fixing anything, he’s just practicing for his Circ de Sole act. (please excuse the possible mis-spelling — I can’t spell worth a shirt.)”
Submitted by: Imac64
The plumbing fix wasn’t pictured, but hopefully your imagination can provide the picture. – Frankie Fix-It
Favorite Comment: Beentheredonethat says, “After lugging it all on the bike, they must have been awfully tired!”
Submitted by: TK
Duracell + glue = math power! – Frankie Fix-It
Favorite Comment: Bob-H says:, “Similar to more modern electronics, it runs on non-replaceable batteries.”
Today’s historical kludge has been responsible for a number of things, killing cancer cells, causing a strange malaise w/r/t the destruction of the world (via the duck-and-cover-era and the Cold War), and changing how we are able to perceive ourselves (via X-rays, radios, cellphones and the like). To think that it is all the result of of an accident in a laboratory in 1896, is quite a shock.
Marie Curie and her partner Pierre were responsible for discovering the element radium in 1898, but in 1895 scientist Wilhelm Röntgen discovered X-rays, and Henri Becquerel shortly thereafter attempted to discover where they came from.
Back in 1896 Becquerel was fascinated by two things: natural fluorescence and the newfangled X-ray. He ran a series of experiments to see if naturally fluorescent minerals produced X-rays after they had been left out in the sun.
One problem – he was doing these experiments in the winter, and there was one week with a long stretch of overcast skies. He left his equipment wrapped up together in a drawer and waited for a sunny day.
When he got back to work, Becquerel realized that the uranium rock he had left in the drawer had imprinted itself on a photographic plate without being exposed to sunlight first. There was something very special about that rock. Working with Marie and Pierre Curie, he discovered that that something was radioactivity.
As further research went into radioactive materials, the positive potential uses were also compounded with the facets of danger that over-exposure can bring. A cruel irony abound in the fact that Marie Curies died on July 4th, 1934 from aplastic anemia which resulted from her extreme exposure to radiation.
Despite this, radiation has been a vital part of life from the Ultra-Violet rays that are emitted from the sun, to the radio waves that allow us to broadcast music…
Speaking of music….
Kraftwerk rules…
Information provided by: Kraftwerk, Science.howstuffworks.com Wikipedia
Images Courtesy: Amazon.com, Science.howstuffworks.com and ChemTeam
As always, if YOU have an idea for a future Historical Thursday, please email it to me at thereifixedit@gmail.com.
Favorite Comment: Neil R says, “I don’t know if the LOLHenri concept will take off, even with the catchy “icanhazatomz.com” website”
Submitted by: Unknown
Favorite Comment: treborx says, “message(s) in a bottle. WIN!”
Submitted by: 442
Plus corks typically come with idea-juice. – Frankie Fix-It
Favorite Comment: Pot says, “That kettle is black.”
Submitted by: Briana Cobb
Is there anything that duct tape can’t do? – Frankie Fix-It
Favorite Comment: Amanda says, “The tree tried to do the matrix move and broke his back. Now he’s invincible!”
Submitted by: Th.
California Barracuda bike + skateboard = Serious Gnar-Power. Better get an extreme lock. – Frankie Fix-It
Favorite Comments: Gangreless says, “Exactly how the hell is this thing supposed to work? O.o” and MRDR replies, “You sit on the seat and kick off with your feet, awkwardly lurching forward for two meters, then slowing to a stop. While you repeat the action, third-graders walk by you and laugh.”
Submitted by: Unknown
What are they mixing? – Frankie Fix-It
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