*Please note- This site search does not include the Vic. & Tas. BMD's, Lots o' Links & Worth a Look Books
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Now truth more than fiction is strange,
as customs and laws they have changed;
There're things quite absurd
that we've never heard
and some of them seem quite deranged
as customs and laws they have changed;
There're things quite absurd
that we've never heard
and some of them seem quite deranged
FASCINATING FACTS
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The Nautical Mile & Knots
The nautical mile (1.852 kilometers, approx. 1.151 mph) was introduced in the 15th century, as Sailors needed a handy standard against which to measure speed, so created out of necessity 'the chip log', which was the world’s first maritime speedometer. Using materials they had on hand, a wedge-shaped piece of wood, a small glass timer, and a very long rope was used. Based on the length of the nautical mile, knots were tied along the log line at intervals of 14.4 meters. One end was secured to the ship’s stern and the other was attached to the wooden board, which was dropped into the water. One sailor watched the sand empty through the 30-second glass, another, held the line and counted the knots as they passed between his fingers. Dividing the 14.4 meters by 30 seconds, told them that one knot equaled 1.85166 kilometers per hour, or one nautical mile. By performing the calculation using the actual number of knots that unspooled, the sailors were able to measure the ship’s speed. http://engineering.mit.edu/ask/why-speed-sea |
Chip log- Where the nautical mile term 'Knot' comes from
The Knot Bible: The Complete Guide to Knots and Their Uses Bloomsbury Publishing
https://books.google.com.au/books?id |
The History and Words of Auld Lang Syne
In 1788, Robert Burns sent the poem ‘Auld Lang Syne’ to the Scots Musical Museum, indicating that it was an ancient song but that he’d been the first to record it on paper. The phrase ‘auld lang syne’ roughly translates as ‘for old times’ sake’, and the song is all about preserving old friendships and looking back over the events of the year. It has long been a much-loved Scottish tradition to sing the song just before midnight. Everyone stands in a circle holding hands, then at the beginning of the final verse (‘And there’s a hand my trusty friend…’) they cross their arms across their bodies so that their left hand is holding the hand of the person on their right, and their right hand holds that of the person on their left. When the song ends, everyone rushes to the middle, still holding hands, laughing. It's also sung at weddings, not only New Year.
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History of the Calendar
Eras & how we came to use B.C. and A.D., The Roman Calendar, Abraham (Old Testament), used the 360-day year, The Julian Calendar, The Dropping of the Days, The Gregorian Calendar, How the Days in the Months came about, Double BDM recordings over a 200 year period, Which Date is Correct? And more.... |