2020 New Random Pics

[Steve Carlton]

[Racerbvd]

[GH85Carrera]

Adler Diplomat eight-wheeler

[Racerbvd]

[GH85Carrera]

[craigster59]

Burt Mustin, 1902 Hockey team (in front)..

[Steve Carlton]

I'll never forget the kind fireman Gus in Leave it to Beaver.

[GH85Carrera]

[Racerbvd]

CP-1 and the Dawn of the #AtomicAge

Chicago Pile-1 (CP-1) was the world's first artificial nuclear reactor. On December 2, 1942, the first human-made self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction occurred.

The development of the reactor was the first major technical achievement of the Manhattan Project. Developed by the Metallurgical Laboratory at the University of Chicago, CP-1 was built in a squash court located under the west stands of Stagg Field, the University of Chicago’s football stadium, without consulting university officials. After a series of attempts, the reactor was assembled in November 1942 by a team of about thirty scientists led by Fermi, working in shifts.

As the reactor used natural uranium, large amounts of material, including graphite for a neutron moderator, would be required to reach criticality. By September, deliveries of materials from various sources began to arrive in covered trucks. The reactor contained 45,000 ultra-pure graphite blocks weighing 360 tons (720,000 pounds) provided by National Carbon and other suppliers. It was fueled by 5.4 tons (10,800 pounds) of uranium metal and 45 tons (90,000 pounds) of uranium oxide, provided by the Mallincrodt Chemical Works in St. Louis. The reactor had no radiation shielding or cooling system, operating at about 0.5 watts.

Successive layers of graphite blocks were arranged on the squash court floor, forming a sphere, the most efficient shape to maximize fission. Holes were drilled to contain the uranium and uranium oxide. The pile was supported by wood framing and surrounded on three sides by a shield of balloon cloth. The fourth side faced the viewing balcony of the squash court.

Forty-nine scientists were present for the successful experiment on December 2, 1942. The pile had run for about 4.5 minutes at about 0.5 watts. Hungarian refugee physicist, Eugene Wigner, opened a bottle of Chianti, which they drank from paper cups.

#ManhattanProjectNPS #ChicagoPile

Caption: CP-1 drawing
Credit: DOE

[red 928]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Don't forget amnesia!

[red 928]

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Racerbvd

CP-1 and the Dawn of the #AtomicAge

Chicago Pile-1 (CP-1) was the world's first artificial nuclear reactor. On December 2, 1942, the first human-made self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction occurred.

The development of the reactor was the first major technical achievement of the Manhattan Project. Developed by the Metallurgical Laboratory at the University of Chicago, CP-1 was built in a squash court located under the west stands of Stagg Field, the University of Chicago’s football stadium, without consulting university officials. After a series of attempts, the reactor was assembled in November 1942 by a team of about thirty scientists led by Fermi, working in shifts.

As the reactor used natural uranium, large amounts of material, including graphite for a neutron moderator, would be required to reach criticality. By September, deliveries of materials from various sources began to arrive in covered trucks. The reactor contained 45,000 ultra-pure graphite blocks weighing 360 tons (720,000 pounds) provided by National Carbon and other suppliers. It was fueled by 5.4 tons (10,800 pounds) of uranium metal and 45 tons (90,000 pounds) of uranium oxide, provided by the Mallincrodt Chemical Works in St. Louis. The reactor had no radiation shielding or cooling system, operating at about 0.5 watts.

Successive layers of graphite blocks were arranged on the squash court floor, forming a sphere, the most efficient shape to maximize fission. Holes were drilled to contain the uranium and uranium oxide. The pile was supported by wood framing and surrounded on three sides by a shield of balloon cloth. The fourth side faced the viewing balcony of the squash court.

Forty-nine scientists were present for the successful experiment on December 2, 1942. The pile had run for about 4.5 minutes at about 0.5 watts. Hungarian refugee physicist, Eugene Wigner, opened a bottle of Chianti, which they drank from paper cups.

#ManhattanProjectNPS #ChicagoPile

Caption: CP-1 drawing
Credit: DOE

"It'll be fine. What could possibly go wrong?"

[masraum]

[masraum]

Texas is the largest producer of cotton in the US. This thing got on the Interstate at our exit. I was behind it for ~4 miles and it left little tufts of cotton blowing along the side of the road between our place and the Interstate. I've seen some cotton fields in the area a few times. By the time it got on I10, it didn't seem to be losing any cotton any more.



THis thing is super cool. It's a 2 speed which is not unusual. But in addition it's got 5 modes.
In one mode it's "locked" meaning however you crank the arm, the bit will turn (clockwise or counter clockwise)
The next mode is a RH ratchet, so you turn the crank one way and the bit goes clockwise, and go the other way and it ratchets.
The next mode is a LH ratchet, so the crank arm causes the bit to turn counter-clockwise. These two modes are not anything crazy, many, many items from back in the day did that.
The next mode is pretty special. No matter what direction you turn the crank handle, the bit turns clockwise. So if you turn the crank handle clockwise, the bit turns clockwise. If you turn the crank handle counter clockwise, the bit still turns clockwise.
And the final mode is the same as the above other than the bit turning counter-clockwise.

What I understand is that these were very useful when building automobiles, train cars, and carriages where you had to drill holes or drive screws in spaces that didn't allow for a complete range of motion of the crank.

[GH85Carrera]

SAIPAN.
This mountain-side of white coral on Saipan was worth more than its weight in gold to aviation engineers building Marianas airbases for Boeing B-29 Superfortresses. When geologists of aviation engineer battalions spotted a rich deposit, it was usually only a matter of hours before shovels, bulldozers and trucks were ripping out the precious building material for heavy bomber strips. The activity of these pits rivals the busiest ant hills. (NARA)








Boeing 747 - Economy seats in 1970, it seems to me that over time, there have been changes, and not for the better, and here, I repeat myself, but at that time, we had service. Of course those tickets were a lot more expensive back then.

[masraum]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

^If Byron had driven a bulldozer^

[john70t]

[GH85Carrera]

[GH85Carrera]

[GH85Carrera]

Known as “the Pittsburgh of the West”, Eureka, Nevada was the nation’s first important silver-lead district, and was Nevada’s second richest mineral producer during the 1800s. Sixteen smelters operated just outside town, treating ore from over 50 active mines. Pictured here is the Eureka Consolidated Mill and Smelter ca. 1880.




The United States built 2,710 Liberty ships between 1941 and 1945, averaging 1.5 ships a day.
Made with antiquated but easily manufactured technology, they were built in record time. Each ship took an average of just 42 days to complete.
The ships were lightly armed, but one notable example, the SS Stephen Hopkins, managed to fight a cargo raider to mutual destruction.
Currently, only four remain. Three are museums, while the fourth is a landlocked canning facility.