I did not know that yesterday!

What was the name of the first roller coaster and who built it?

According to the fantastically informative history section of UltimateRollercoaster.com, today's roller coaster has its roots in the Russian Ice Slides of the mid-1600s. Popular mostly around St. Petersburg, these wooden constructions resembled giant skateboard half-pipe ramps coated in ice. Happy-go-lucky Russians would shoot down the ramp on a sled, zip up the other side, and then gradually slide down to the middle. Catherine the Great was apparently a huge fan. Enough said.

When did wheels enter the picture? Roller-coaster historian (??) Robert Cartmell cites a ride in the Gardens of Orienbaum in St. Petersburg (1784) that featured "carriages which undulated over hills within grooved tracks." Unfortunately, no engineer is credited with the project, and there is some dispute with the French on this matter.

The first roller coaster built in the U.S.A. was called the Gravity Pleasure Switchback Railway. Built by LaMarcus Thompson in 1884, it opened in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York.

Visit UltimateRollercoaster.com to learn more about early roller coasters and enjoy some wonderful illustrations. You'll also find an engraving of the world's first looping roller coaster!

Why is the snooze function on alarm clocks always set to nine-minute intervals?

Before researching the answer, I would have thought it's because nine
minutes is the approximate length of time it takes to fall back asleep
before being roused by the piercing beep of the infernal alarm clock.

But as it turns out, it's really all a matter of mechanics. Back in
1956 when the snooze button was first introduced, alarm clocks had
standardized gears. The snooze gear had to mesh with the teeth of the
other gears. Due to the configuration of the gears, a nice, round
10-minute snooze cycle was out of the question, so the engineers had
to choose between nine minutes or 10-plus minutes. As we all know,
punctuality is a virtue, so the engineers went with nine minutes.

Various attempts have been made to change the nine-minute snooze cycle
-- manufacturers have tried five, seven, and ten minutes, but a
nine-minute snooze has become the unofficial standard.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is a
village on the island of Anglesey in Wales. Situated on the Menai
Strait close to Menai Bridge and Bangor, it is best known for having
the longest officially recognised place name in the United Kingdom,
and one of the longest in the world. It is signposted on surrounding
roads as Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, and generally known as Llanfairpwll or
Llanfair locally. The name is also seen shortened to Llanfair PG,
which is sufficient to distinguish it from the many other Welsh
villages with Llanfair in their names.

It is a popular tourist destination, with many people stopping at the
railway station to be photographed next to the station sign, visiting
the nearby visitors' centre, or having 'passports' stamped at a local
shop. Another tourist attraction is the nearby Marquess of Anglesey's
Column, which at a height of 27 m offers views over Anglesey and the
Menai Strait. Designed by Thomas Harrison, the monument celebrates the
heroism of Henry Paget, 1st Marquess of Anglesey at the Battle of
Waterloo. In recent times the village has grown and is now somewhat
like a northern suburb of Bangor, on the other side of the Menai
Strait.

Name
A sign showing the name is visible in the background.The village's
long name was contrived in the 1860s for the prestige of having the
longest name of a railway station in Great Britain, and could not be
considered an authentic word in the Welsh language. A translation into
English would yield "St Mary's church in the hollow of the white hazel
near a rapid whirlpool and the church of St Tysilio near the red
cave".

The village was originally known as Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, and there
was a nearby hamlet called Llantysilio Gogogoch. The names were linked
by an in-between feature, the chwyrn drobwll, or rapid whirlpool.

There have been several attempts to steal the village's record. The
Carmarthenshire village of Llanfynydd unofficially adopted the name
Llanhyfryddawelllehynafolybarcudprindanfygythiadtrienusyrhafnauole in
2004 in protest at plans to erect a wind farm nearby (the name means
"a quiet beautiful village, an historic place with rare kite under
threat from wretched blades" in English). A station on the Fairbourne
Railway was named
Gorsafawddacha'idraigodanheddogleddollônpenrhynareurdraethceredigion
(translated as "the Mawddach station and its dragon teeth at the
Northern Penrhyn Road on the golden beach of Cardigan Bay") for
promotional purposes. No such attempts have gained widespread
recognition amongst official bodies and transport authorities.

Le Pétomane was the stage name of the French entertainer Joseph Pujol (June 1, 1857 - 1945).

He was famous in Victorian times for his remarkable control of the abdominal muscles, which enabled him to break wind at will. He derived his stage name from the French word péter, "to fart."

Joseph Pujol was born in Marseille. He was one of five children of François (a stonemason and sculptor) and Rose Pujol. Soon after he left school he had a strange experience while swimming in the sea. He would put his head under the water and hold his breath whereupon he felt an icy cold penetrating his rear. He ran ashore in fright and was amazed to see water pouring from his anus. A doctor assured him that
there was nothing to worry about.

When he joined the army he told his fellow soldiers about this and repeated it for their amusement. He then found that he could do the same with air. Although a baker by profession, Pujol decided to try his talent on the stage, and debuted in Marseille in 1887. Successful, he proceeded to Paris, where he took the act to the Moulin Rouge.

Some of the highlights of his stage act involved playing a flute through a rubber tube in his anus and farting sound effects of cannon fire and thunderstorms. The climax of his act involved him farting his impression of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.

With the outbreak of World War I, Pujol retired from the stage and returned to his bakery in Marseille. Later he opened a biscuit factory in Toulon. He died in 1945, aged 88 and was buried in the cemetery of La Valette in the Var département, where his grave can still be seen today.

A present-day comedian employing the same effect is Mr. Methane.

A short humorous film about his life, entitled Le Petomane starred Leonard Rossiter.

A character in Mel Brooks' Blazing Saddles, a film notorious for its flatulence jokes, has the name Lepetomane

During the 1950s, French critics began writing favorable reviews of Lewis' work, but his star really rose in 1965. That year, the French voted "The Nutty Professor" film of the year, Lewis paid a visit to France where he was mobbed by adoring fans, and the country held a three-week festival in his honor.

As for why he initially gained popularity with the French, we can only speculate. U.S. critic Gerard Mast wrote that Lewis' brash, overzealous act was a spot-on take of American excess, and therefore appealed to the Gallic sense of humor. In her book "Why the French love Jerry Lewis," Rae Beth Gordon says Lewis' physical humor was much like a French comedy style that began in the 1880s and flourished in stage and film. And Lewis biographer Shawn Levy postulates that while the French love high art, they're also suckers for low-brow humor.

Whatever the reasons, it's safe to assume what people find entertaining changes by era, location, and generation. While Jack Benny was a riot in his time, he doesn't have quite the same audience today, and "Seinfeld" was a hit in the States but tanked in Germany. But after all, the french still love Benny Hill too:)

I start by noting that he crucial difference between ketchup and mustard bottles isn't so much the shape of the container as the size of the mouth. After years of scientific study, condiment researchers discovered that whereas most people delicately daub mustard on with a knife, ketchup they pretty much slobber over everything straight out of the bottle. That's because mustard is a pungent substance that will burn holes in the roof of your mouth if used to excess, thereby giving us the thrill of living on the edge of danger that is so lacking in contemporary life. Ketchup, in contrast, is bland. The bottle mouths are designed to accommodate the differences in usage.

Interestingly, the H.J. Heinz company did put a wide-mouthed ketchup bottle on the market in 1966, for people who wanted to use ketchup by the spoonful in recipes. This daring innovation promptly bombed monstrously (although it is still sold in a few places), apparently because Heinz had overlooked the fact that for the most part there aren't any recipes that call for ketchup, except as a glaze--most people use tomato sauce instead. In contrast, quite a few recipes for sauces and dressings and whatnot require mustard. At any rate, French's does make a mustard bottle with a narrow mouth for use in restaurants, where you want to discourage people from poking their grubby cutlery into the condiments.

Everyone knows the first video ever played on MTV. What was the second?

Let's take a trip through time, back to the days when MTV actually
played music videos all day and night. It seems like so long ago --
the year 1981 -- when the groundbreaking channel first launched. At
midnight on August 1, 1981, cable upstart MTV made its first broadcast
with "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the British band, The Buggles.
But what came next? I put on our skinny ties and Ray-Ban sunglasses
and paid a visit to Yahoo!'s 1980s Pop Culture category to find your
answer.
Deep within the Eighties Club, I read about MTV's rocky start. After
the Buggles, the channel aired five spots introducing MTV's veejays
(the spots were played in the wrong order). Then the next music video
was broadcast -- the tune was "You Better Run" by Pat Benatar. Some
fumbling and dead air followed these first two videos, as engineers
and veejays scrambled to play videos in the right order. Eventually,
the MTV team got their act together and became one of the decade's
biggest influences on popular music.

An artist biography on Hip Online confirmed Pat Benatar's status as
the second artist to air a video on MTV. "You Better Run" was
Benatar's first video. The song was featured on her second album,
Crimes of Passion, released in 1980. This album also featured her
first top ten hit, "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." Many of Benatar's
later videos enjoyed heavy rotation on MTV, particularly 1983's "Love
Is a Battlefield" directed by Bob Giraidi.

Both MTV and Pat Benatar are still rockin' on into the 21st century,
although I suspect Benatar plays more music than the channel.

Everyone has witnessed the rapturous joy dogs experience while sticking their heads out of car windows. Amazingly, I couldn't find any scholarly research to explain the behavior. Here are three theories I came up with...

1. The sensation of a brisk wind against your face carrying with it scents and fast-moving sights is appealing to many humans. So imagine speeding against the wind with the ability to sniff up to a million times better and to perceive movement at a much quicker pace. For a dog, sticking its head out a moving car must be an all-around sense-sensation the magnitude of which we olfactory-challenged humans can only imagine!

2. Everyone wants a better view. Dogs are no different.

3. Dogs sense what every teen instinctively knows: it's inherently cooler to travel on wheels than by foot.

While dogs may love the easy rider sensation, some pup-lovers believe the practice isn't safe. They recommend doggie seat belts or crates be used. This may sound extreme, but some dogs have actually mastered the use of automatic windows. In fact, lawmakers in Pennsylvania may pass a law requiring dogs to be constrained while traveling in cars. Freedom-loving dogs had better watch out -- the K-9 unit may soon be on their tails.

The Nurek Dam is the largest earthfill dam in the world, located on the Vakhsh River in the central Asian nation of Tajikistan. At 300 meters (984 feet), it is the tallest dam in the world as of 2005. (The Rogun Dam, under construction along the Vakhsh also in Tajikistan, is expected to exceed the Nurek when completed, at a planned height of 335 meters - 1,099 feet.) Construction of the dam began in 1961 and was completed in 1980, when Tajikistan was still a republic within the Soviet Union.

Electricity generation
A total of nine hydroelectric turbines are installed in the Nurek Dam. Originally having a generating capacity of 300 megawatts each, they have since been redesigned and retrofitted such that they now combine to produce 3,000 megawatts of electric power which was adequate to meet 98% of the nation's electricity needs.

Did you know?
In 1994, The Nurek Dam generated enough hydroelectric power to supply three-quarters of that country's generation capacity?

Why are the numbers arranged differently on phones and calculators?

No one's quite certain why the numbers on phones read from top to
bottom when keyboard and calculator numbers read from the bottom up.
But there's no denying which set of buttons came first -- numeric
keypads are based on old adding machines. Generations of accountants
have used them with blurring efficiency.
So why mess with tradition? Why not keep the same format for
telephones? Fortunately, the brains at HowStuffWorks have formulated a
few theories that might explain this bizarre discrepancy.

One theory contends that prototype touchtone keypads in the '50s were
originally identical to calculator keypads, but operators were so
adept at using them they jammed the phone lines. The number layout was
redesigned to actually slow down fast fingers.

Another theory states the phone keypad came from a 1960 Bell Labs
survey in which more people liked the "1" on top (after all, we're not
all accountants). Or maybe the phone layout was roughly based on the
old rotary system.

The Republic of Poland is a country located in Central Europe, between Germany to the west, the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south, Ukraine and Belarus to the east, and the Baltic Sea, Lithuania and Russia (in the form of the Kaliningrad Oblast exclave) to the north.

The Polish state was formed over 1,000 years ago under the Piast dynasty, and reached its Golden Age near the end of the 16th century under the Jagiellonian dynasty, when Poland was one of the richest and most powerful countries in Europe. On May 3, 1791 the Sejm of the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania voted for the May Constitution of Poland, Europe's first written constitution, and the second in the world after the Constitution of the United States. Soon afterwards, the country ceased to exist after being partitioned by its neighbours Russia, Austria and Prussia. It regained independence in 1918 in the aftermath of the First World War as the Second Polish Republic. Following the Second World War it became a communist satellite state of the Soviet Union known as the People's Republic of Poland. In 1989 the first partially-free elections in Poland's post-World War II history concluded the Solidarity movement's struggle for freedom and resulted in the defeat of Poland's communist rulers. The current Third Polish Republic was established, followed a few years later by drafting a new constitution in 1997. In 1999 Poland became a part of NATO and in 2004 it joined the European Union.


Poland's official name in Polish is Rzeczpospolita Polska. The names of the country, Polska, and of the nationality, the Poles, are of Slavic origin. Their name may derive from the tribal name Goplanie - people living around Lake Gopło - the cradle of Poland mentioned as Glopeani having 400 strongholds circa 845 (Bavarian Geographer). Common opinion holds that the name Polska comes from the Slavic Polanie tribe who established the Polish state in the 10th century (Greater Poland). The conventional etymology of the ethnic name of the Poles relates it to these Polish Polanie, "dwellers of the field"; pol, "field", analogous to Russian polyî, "open land", from Indo-European pelè-, "flat" + -anie, "inhabitants", analogous to Latin -anus, "originating from" (please compare Yuriev-Polsky). In old Latin chronicles the terms terra Poloniae (land of Poland) or Regnum Poloniae (kingdom of Poland) appear.

Parallel to this terminology, another one, Lechia, came into use, thought to derive from the tribe name Lędzianie. It gave rise to an alternative name for "Pole": Lęch, Lęchowie in Old Church Slavonic, Lechia, Lechites in Latin, Lach in Ruthenian, Lyakh in Russian, as well as to old German Lechien, Hungarian Lengyelorszag, Lengyel, Lithuanian Lenkija, lenkas and Turkish Lechistan (from Persian Lehestan.)

History

The Polish nation began to form into a recognisable unitary territorial entity around the middle of the 10th century under the Piast dynasty. In the 12th century Poland fragmented into several smaller states, which were later ravaged by the Mongol armies of the Golden Horde in 1241. Under the Jagiellon dynasty, Poland forged an alliance with its neighbour Lithuania. A golden age occurred in the 16th century during its union (Lublin Union) with Lithuania in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The citizens of Poland took pride in their ancient freedoms and parliamentary system, though the Szlachta monopolised most of the benefits. Since that time Poles have regarded freedom as their most important value. Poles often call themselves the nation of the free people.

The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth at its greatest extentIn mid-17th century Swedish invasion rolled through the country in the turbulent time known as "The Deluge" (potop). Numerous wars against the Ottoman Empire, Russia, Cossacks, Transylvania and Brandenburg-Prussia ultimately came to an end in 1699. During the following 80 years, the waning of the central government and deadlock of the institutions weakened the nation, leading to half-anarchy and growing dependency on Russia, as in original Polish Democracy every member of parliament was able to break any work or project by shouting 'Liberum Veto' during the session, and there was no need to be a genius for Russian tsar to offer money to the traitors, who kept their country safe from reforms and new solutions.

The Enlightenment in Poland fostered a growing national movement to repair the state, resulting in the first written constitution in Europe, in 1791 (May Constitution of Poland). The process of reforms ceased with the partitions of Poland between Russia, Prussia, and Austria in 1772, 1793 and 1795 which ultimately dissolved the country. Poles resented their shrinking freedoms and several times rebelled against their oppressors ( see List of Polish Uprisings).

After the Napoleonic wars a reconstituted Polish state, the Duchy of Warsaw, ruled by the Russian tsar as a Congress Kingdom, and possessed a liberal constitution. However, the Russian tsars soon reduced Polish freedoms and Russia eventually de facto annexed the country. Later in the 19th century, Austrian-ruled Galicia became the oasis of Polish freedom.

During World War I all the Allies agreed on the restitution of Poland that United States President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed in point 13 of his Fourteen Points. Shortly after the surrender of Germany in November 1918, Poland regained its independence as the Second Polish Republic. A new threat, Soviet aggression, arose in the 1919 (Polish-Soviet War), but Poland succeeded in defending its independence.


Poland between 1921 and 1939
The Second Polish Republic lasted until the start of World War II when Germany and the Soviet Union invaded and split the Polish territory between them from (September 28, 1939). Poland suffered greatly in this period (see General Government). Of all the countries involved in the war, Poland lost the highest percentage of its citizens: over 6 million perished, half of them Polish Jews. Poland's borders shifted westwards; pushing the eastern border to the Curzon line and the western border to the Oder-Neisse line. After the shift Poland emerged smaller by 76 000 km² or by 20% of its pre-war size. The shifting of borders also involved the migration of millions of people – Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, Jews. Eventually, Poland became, for the first time in history, an ethnically unified country.

The Soviet Union brought a new communist government to Poland, analogous to much of the rest of the Eastern Bloc. In 1948 a turn towards Stalinism brought in the beginning of the next period of totalitarian rule. The People's Republic of Poland was officially proclaimed in 1952. In 1956 the régime became more liberal, freeing many people from prison and expanding some personal freedoms. Labour turmoil in 1980 led to the formation of the independent trade union, "Solidarity", which over time became a political force. It eroded the dominance of the Communist Party; by 1989 it had triumphed in parliamentary elections, and Lech Wałęsa, a Solidarity candidate, eventually won the presidency in 1990.

A shock therapy programme during the early 1990s enabled the country to transform its economy into one of the most robust in Central Europe. Despite a regression in social and economic standards, there were numerous improvements in other human rights (free speech, functioning democracy and the like). Poland was the first post-communist country to regain pre-1989 GDP levels. Poland joined the NATO alliance in 1999. Then Polish voters said yes to the EU in a referendum in June 2003. Poland joined the European Union on 1 May 2004.


Politics

Poland is a democratic republic. Its current constitution dates from 1997. The government structure centres on the Council of Ministers, led by a prime minister. The president appoints the cabinet according to the proposals of the prime minister, typically from the majority coalition in the bicameral legislature's lower house (the Sejm). The president, elected by popular vote every five years, serves as the head of state. The current president is Aleksander Kwaśniewski.

Polish voters elect a two house parliament (National Assembly, Polish Zgromadzenie Narodowe), consisting of a 460 member lower house Sejm and a 100 member Senate (Senat). The Sejm is elected under a proportional representation electoral system similar to that used in other parliamentary political systems while the Senate is elected under a comparatively rare first past the post bloc voting. With the exception of ethnic minority parties, only political parties receiving at least 5% of the total national vote can enter Sejm.

The judicial branch plays a minor role in decision-making. Its major institutions include the Supreme Court (Sąd Najwyższy) (judges appointed by the president of the republic on the recommendation of the National Council of the Judiciary for an indefinite period), and the Constitutional Tribunal (Trybunał Konstytucyjny) (judges chosen by the Sejm for nine-year terms). The Sejm (on approval of the Polish Senate) appoints the Ombudsman or the Commissioner for Civil Rights Protection (Rzecznik Praw Obywatelskich) for a five-year term. The Ombudsman has the duty of guarding the observance and implementation of the rights and liberties of the human being and of the citizen, the law and principles of community life and social justice.

Geography

The Polish landscape consists almost entirely of the lowlands of the North European Plain, at an average height of 173 metres, though the Sudetes (including the Karkonosze) and the Carpathian Mountains (including the Tatra mountains, where one also finds Poland's highest point, Rysy, at 2,499 m.) form the southern border. Several large rivers cross the plains; for instance, the Vistula (Wisła), Oder (Odra), Warta the (Western) Bug. Poland also contains over 9,300 lakes, predominantly in the north of the country. Masuria (Mazury) forms the largest and most-visited lake district in Poland. Remains of the ancient forests survive: see list of forests in Poland. Poland enjoys a temperate climate, with cold, cloudy, moderately severe winters and mild summers with frequent showers and thunder showers.

Economy

Since its return to democracy, Poland has steadfastly pursued a policy of liberalising the economy and today stands out as one of the most successful and open examples of the transition from communism to a market economy.


Złoty, the nation's currency.The privatisation of small and medium state-owned companies and a liberal law on establishing new firms have allowed for the rapid development of an aggressive private sector, followed by a development of consumer rights organisations later on. Restructuring and privatisation of "sensitive sectors" (e.g., coal, steel, railways, and energy) has begun. The biggest privatisations so far were a sale of Telekomunikacja Polska, a national telecom to France Telecom (2000) and an issue of 30% shares of the biggest Polish bank, PKO BP, on the Polish stockmarket (2004).

Poland has a large agricultural sector of private farms, that could be a leading producer of food in the European Union now that Poland is a member. Challenges remain, especially under-investment. Structural reforms in health care, education, the pension system, and state administration have resulted in larger-than-expected fiscal pressures. Warsaw leads the region of Central Europe in foreign investment and allegedly needs a continued large inflow. GDP growth had been strong and steady from 1993 to 2000 with only a short slowdown from 2001 to 2002. The prospect of closer integration with the European Union has put the economy back on track, with growth of 3.7% annually in 2003, a rise from 1.4% annually in 2002. In 2004 GDP growth equalled 5.4% and in 2005, it is expected to be around 3.7%.

Annual growth rates broken down by quarters:

Q1 2003 - 2.2%
Q2 2003 - 3.8%
Q3 2003 - 3.9%
Q4 2003 - 4.7%
Q1 2004 - 6.9%
Q2 2004 - 6.1%
Q3 2004 - 4.8%
Q4 2004 - 3.9%
Although the Polish economy is currently undergoing an economic boom there are many challenges ahead. The most notable task on the horizon is the preparation of the economy (through continuing deep structural reforms) to allow Poland to meet the strict economic criteria for entry into the European Single Currency. There is much speculation as to just when Poland might be ready to join the Eurozone, although the best guess estimates put the entry date somewhere between 2009 and 2013. For now, Poland is preparing to make the Euro its official currency (as other countries of the European Union), and Złoty will eventually be abolished from the modern Polish economy. Since joining the European Union, many young Polish people have left their country to work in other EU countries, mainly to Ireland, attracted by the high standard of living and high wages, which they can then send back to their families in Poland.

Transportation

Poland total length of railways in Poland is 23,420 km. The total length of highways/expressways is 364,657 km. There are a total of 9,283,000 registered passenger automobiles, as well as 1,762,000 registered trucks and buses (2000).

Poland has eight major airports, a total of 122 airports and airfields, as well as three heliports. The total length of navigable rivers and canals is 3,812 km. The merchant marine consists of 114 ships, with an additional 100 ships registered outside the country. The principal ports and harbours are Gdańsk, Gdynia, Kołobrzeg, Szczecin, Świnoujście, Ustka, Warsaw, and Wrocław.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.


Maidenhead is a town in Berkshire, England, and has a population of around 60,000. The town is part of the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. It lies on the west bank of the River Thames. Surrounding it lie:

to the east: on the opposite side of the river, the village of Taplow. A few miles further on is Slough, and after it the London boroughs of Hounslow and Uxbridge.
to the north: the Cookhams (Cookham Village, Cookham Rise & Cookham Dean). These lie south of the Berkshire-Buckinghamshire border, which is formed by the River Thames (which then bends southwards to form the Maidenhead-Taplow border)
to the south: the village of Holyport. Continuing by road to the South-East leads to the town of Windsor.
The (Brunel-built) Great Western Railway passes through the town, calling at Maidenhead railway station and offering convenient links to London and stations towards Bristol. Brunel's Maidenhead Railway Bridge is famous for its flat brick arches.

Maidenhead is in England's 'Silicon Corridor' along the M4 motorway west of London. Many residents commute to work in London, or the towns of Slough and Reading. Maidenhead offers reasonable High Street shopping facilities, multiplex cinema, leisure centre (with swimming pool), bowling alley and an arts centre (with theatre).

Maidenhead's industries include: computer software, plastics, pharmaceuticals and printing. The town is also a boating centre. Maidenhead's name originated from the wharf built on the river in 1297.

Maidenhead was home to the conference that agreed upon the Maidenhead Locator System standard.

Maidenhead Grammar School was converted into a (boys) comprehensive school in the 1970s, and renamed Desborough School. Maidenhead High School, similarly, became Newlands Girls' School.

The current MP for Maidenhead is Theresa May (Conservative). The mayor is Councillor Emrys Richards (Liberal Democrat).


History
Maidenhead is recorded in the Domesday Book under the name of 'Ellington' in the hundred of Beynhurst; the modern town of Maidenhead, however, originates from South Ellington.

The busiest part of the district was along the River Thames near the Great Hill of Taplow, ideal for both trade and access to the sea. This Hill was known to the Celts as the Mai Dun, and its corresponding wharf as the Mai Dun Hythe. It is from this wharf that the area became known as Maidenhuth, eventually superseding the name South Ellington.

In 1280 a bridge was erected across the river to replace the ferry and the Great Western Road was diverted in order to make use of it. This led to the growth of Maidenhead: a stopping point for coaches on the journeys between London and Bath and the High Street became populated with inns. The current Maidenhead Bridge, a local landmark, dates from 1777 at a cost of £19,000.

King Charles I met his children for the last time before his execution in 1649 at the Greyhound Inn, which is now a branch of the NatWest Bank. A plaque commemorates their meeting.

A significant river resort in the 19th century, Maidenhead was notably ridiculed in Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome.

With the railways beginning to expand in the mid-19th century, the High Street began to change again. Muddy roads were replaced and public services were installed — modern Maidenhead appears.

The boring bits:

OS Grid Reference: SU889811
Administration
Borough: Windsor & Maidenhead
Region: South East England
Nation: England
Other
Ceremonial County: Berkshire
Traditional County: Berkshire
Postal County: Berkshire

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.


Air Force One is the air traffic control call sign of any U.S. Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. Since 1990, the presidential fleet has consisted of two specifically configured, highly customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft—tail numbers 28000 and 29000—with Air Force designation VC-25A. While these planes are only referred to as "Air Force One" while the president is on board, the term is commonly used to describe either of two aircraft normally used and maintained by the U.S. Air Force solely for the president.

The VC-25A is capable of flying 12,600 km (7,800 miles)—roughly one-third of the distance around the world—without refueling and can accommodate more than 70 passengers. Before these planes entered service, two Boeing 707-320B-type aircraft—tail numbers 26000 and 27000—had operated as Air Force One starting in 1962. The Air Force designation for these aircraft was VC-137. Since its inception, Air Force One has become a symbol of presidential power and prestige.

Contents
1 Operation
2 Capability and features
3 History
3.1 First of "Flying Presidents"
3.2 Boeing 707s as Air Force One
3.3 Transition to Boeing 747s
3.4 Location of past planes that served as Air Force One
4 Pop culture
5 Other government official aircraft
6 Sources and further reading
6.1 Text
6.2 Photographs and other multimedia
7 See also
8 Notes




Operation
These aircraft are maintained and operated as military operations by the Presidential Airlift Group, part of Air Mobility Command's 89th Airlift Wing, based at Andrews Air Force Base in Suitland and Clinton, Maryland. The President is often flown in a U.S. Marine Corps helicopter, call sign Marine One, between the Andrews AFB and the White House.


Capability and features
The planes that serve as Air Force One differ from the standard Boeing 747 in size, features, and security precautions. While Air Force One has three floors, like a regular Boeing 747, its interior has been reconfigured for presidential duties. The planes' 4,000 square feet (370 m²) of interior floor space includes multiple modifications. The planes' lowest level is mostly cargo space, carrying luggage and the plane's food supply. The food can supply up to 2,000 meals when fully loaded, some of which is stored in freezers. Meals are prepared in two galleys, which together are equipped to feed about 100 people at a time.

The main passenger area is on the second floor, and communications equipment and the cockpit are on the third floor. There are three entrances onboard. Writer Tom Harris notes:

Passengers can enter through three doors. Two doors, one at the front of the plane and one at the rear, open onto the lower deck, and one door at the front of the plane opens onto the middle deck. Normally, when you see the president in the news getting on and off Air Force One with a wave, he is using the door onto the middle deck and a rolling staircase has been pulled up to the plane. Journalists normally enter through the rear door, where they immediately climb a staircase to the middle deck. Most of the press area looks something like the first class section of an ordinary jetliner, with comfortable, spaced-out seats.
On board Air Force One are medical facilities, including a fold-out operating table, emergency medical supplies, and a well-stocked pharmacy. On every flight there is a staff doctor. In addition, there are separate sleeping quarters for guests, senior staff, Secret Service and security personnel, and the news media; the president's executive suite includes a private dressing room, workout room, lavatory, shower, and private office. These offices, including the president's suite, are mostly located on the right side of the aircraft (while facing forward), and a long corridor runs along the left side. Whenever Air Force One finishes taxiing on the tarmac, it always comes to a stop with the left side of the aircraft, the port side, facing gathered onlookers as a security measure to keep the President's side of the aircraft out of view.


Air Force One on the ground.In the office areas, Air Force One features access to photocopying, printing, and word processing, as well as telecommunication systems (including 85 telephones and 19 televisions). There are also secure and non-secure voice, fax, and data communications. Most of the furniture on board was hand-crafted by master carpenters.

The planes can also be operated as a military command center in the event of an incident such as a nuclear attack. Operational modifications include aerial refueling capability and anti-aircraft missile countermeasures. The electronics on board include around 238 miles (383 km) of wiring, twice the amount in a regular 747. These are covered with heavy shielding to protect wires and electronics from the electromagnetic pulse generated by a nuclear attack. The planes also have electronic countermeasures (ECMs) which jam enemy radar, and flares to avoid heat-seeking missiles. Much of Air Force One's other capabilities are classified for security reasons.

The boring Bits:
Name: Air Force One
Primary function: Presidential air transport
Contractor: Boeing
Power plant: Four General Electric CF6-80C2B1 jet engines
Thrust: 56,700 lbf (250 kN) per engine
Length: 231 ft, 10 in (70.7 m)
Height: 63 ft, 5 in (19.3 m)
Wingspan: 195 ft, 8 in (59.6 m)
Speed: 630 mph (Mach 0.92)
Ceiling: 45,100 ft (13,700 m)
Maximum Takeoff Weight: 833,000 lb (375,000 kg)
Range: 7,800 statute miles (6,800 nautical miles or 12,550 km) Note: it can be fueled in-flight so it has an essentially limitless range.
Crew: 26
Total capacity: 102
Introduction: December 8, 1990 (No. 28000)
December 23, 1990 (No. 29000)
Deployment: September 6, 1990 (No. 28000)
March 26, 1991 (No. 29000)
Inventory: 2

What does it mean when flight attendants say "cross-check" to each other over the intercom?


Before a plane can take off, the flight attendants have to arm the doors.It means the inflatable evacuation slide is secured to the door. You know, in case of "an unexpected landing." Before the plane's planned landing, the flight attendants have to disarm the doors so people can deplane.

Because airplanes have doors at both front and back, flight attendants use the intercom to tell each other when the arming/disarming task is complete. That's what they mean when they say "cross-check" plus the door identification. When they say "cross-check complete" it means all the doors are done.

So now you can put your tray table up, return your seat back to its upright position, and rest easy knowing that the flight attendants have checked it all and are ready to rock out...er, fly.

Why is it impossible to sneeze with your eyes open?


The received wisdom states that if you don't blink when you sneeze, your eyes will fly out of your head. Thankfully, as is often the case with urban legends, this theory is a load of hooey. Your eyeballs are safe and sound in their sockets. For a funny pictorial representation of this hypothetical scenario, check out this urban myth page from MTV.
In reality, a sneeze is simply an involuntary nervous response to nasal irritation. According to this nifty science blog entry, the sneeze impulse affects a variety of body parts, including the abdomen, chest, neck, and face. During a sneeze, the impulses that travel through your face cause your eyelids to blink. This response is entirely automatic. There's nothing you can do about it. Sneezing puts a lot of pressure on your head and respiratory system, so blinking is probably a protective mechanism.

The point is that all of these responses (the abdominal contraction, the sharp burst of air out of your lungs, the general lunging movement) are intertwined. When you sneeze, you can't do one without the other.